Landslide kills three in Uttarakhand, five still trapped

Three people were killed and five others are suspected to be trapped under rubble in Uttarakhand's Tehri district following a landslide on Wednesday, police said.

Heavy rains are lashing most parts of the hill state, triggering a spate of landslides.

The landslide damaged a house and five shops, burying eight people under it. While five persons are still trapped under the rubble, three bodies have been taken out, police said.

The Sub-divisional magistrate(SDM), P. R. Chauhan, said a team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has reached the site of the incident.

Due to rains, the Pindar river in Tehri has been in spate and many landslides have taken place in the region, an official said.

Meanwhile, rains continued to batter most parts of the state for the sixth consecutive day, leading to water logging in the cities and towns and landslides in the countryside.

More than 80 link roads have been either damaged or closed for traffic in Paudi district alone due to heavy rains and inclement weather. Overnight rains in Nainital, a popular hill station for tourists, has disrupted normal life.

A landslide behind a school in Nainital's Mallitaal area has forced the district administration to send advice to schools to be vigilant. On inspection by authorities, a large section of road on the Haldwani-Bheemtaal road, has turned weak and can at any time cave into the lake, an official said. Traffic has been stopped on this road.

--IANS

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