Cloudburst kills five in Uttarakhand

Five persons were killed on Friday when a cloudburst triggered heavy rains in Uttarakhand's Kotdwar, officials said.

Water from an overflowing rain-fed Paniala Gadar entered many houses and washed away some people in the area.

National Disaster Response Force teams have been rushed to the area to evacuate those still trapped in the gushing waters and the houses.

The deceased have been identified as Lakshya Arora, Jyoti Arora, Shanti Devi and Ajit Kumar. One body is yet to be identified.

The torrential downpour also lead to leaking of current in the Refugee Colony leading to short-circuit at some places.

Meanwhile, a cooking gas cylinder blast injured three people -- Harendra Bhatia (48), Rahul (19), Renu (42). They have all been admitted to a medical facility in Kotdwar.

Other parts of Uttarakhand like Dehradun and Rishikesh are also witnessing rains, with the Regional Met Office warning of very heavy rains on Saturday.

--IANS

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