UP: Devotees stranded at Shakumbhari Devi Temple rescued

Several devotees stranded at the flooded premises of Shakumbhari Devi Temple following a heavy rainfall were rescued here on Sunday.

"The premises were partially submerged into the water following a heavy downpour received at the Dehradun peaks last night. Accordingly, necessary announcements were made but devotees paid no heed to them," Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Devendra Panday told ANI.

Stating that full support is being provided to all the stranded devotees, Pandey affirmed that no casualty has been reported and fresh batches of devotees are being stopped to proceed further.

Meanwhile, some of the rescued devotees claimed that the administration failed them as they were stranded in the temple premises for a period of five to six hours.

Harbans Kaur, a devotee hailing from Karnal said, "We all helped each other as no support was provided to us when we were stuck at the temple premises. The flow was so intense that we had to tie our chunni (a piece of cloth worn with a suit) and walk with hand in hand in the water."

"The administration failed to provide support at an early call", she added.