Snowstorm blows away roofs of 11 houses in U'khand

A snowstorm today hit the Goripar area in Dharchula subdivision of Pithoragarh district, blowing off the roofs of 11 houses and forcing evacuation of over 50 people.
There was, however, no report of anybody being injured due to the weather phenomenon, said Pithoragarh disaster management officer RS Rana.
The snowstorm, which started early in the morning and ended by 2 P.M., blew away the roofs of five houses in Kultham, two each in Ugali and Phalyati and one house each in the Papri and Dhilam villages in Goripar in the Munsiyari sub-division of the district,
More than 50 people had to be evacuated from their residences in the Goripar area as a result of the snowstorm. The members of over 11 families were rescued in the morning and moved to nearby houses, officials said.

"The snowstorm, which started in the lower valley of Panchachuli Himalayas, moved westward," said Rana. It appears to have been caused by fresh snowfall in the Panchachuli ranges, he added.
Pithoragarh District Magistrate HC Semwal, meanwhile, said that a team led by Munsyari SDM KK Mishra has been sent to the spot to assess the extent of the damage.
There were also reports of strong winds damaging over a dozen houses with tin roofs in Irani village in Chamoli district, according to Chamoli Disaster Management Officer Nandkishore Joshi.
A team of disaster management personnel has reached the village, which is situated at a distance of about 50-km from the district headquarters, to ascertain the extent of damage, he said.