Five people died after being buried under the debris of a landslide on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district, reported PTI. The incident took place at Tarsali in Phata area on Thursday night when the car they were travelling in was trapped under a landslide.
Their bodies were recovered on Friday following incessant rains ceased.
Police said the dead included three devotees from Gujarat and one from Haridwar, and efforts were on to identify the fifth victim.
IMD issues ‘orange’ alert
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department on Friday warned of heavy rains and issued an ‘orange alert’ in six districts of the hill state for Friday, and a “red” alert for the next three days. The Dehradun Meteorological Center has also issued an “orange” alert for Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts for Friday and a “red” alert from August 12 to 14.
“Red and orange alerts have been issued by the Meteorological Department in many districts of the state. All the residents and tourists are requested to avoid unnecessary travel,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a tweet.
He also instructed the district administration and the SDRF to remain in alert mode for 24 hours and he is also monitoring every situation by establishing contact with the concerned authorities.
The CM also undertook a ground inspection of the rain-hit Kotdwar area where a man had gone missing in a landslide a couple of days ago and several bridges were damaged, cutting off a large population from the rest of the state.
Meanwhile, normal life has been affected in the state due to incessant rains, which have so far taken the lives of 58 people, according to information from the State Emergency Operation Center. At least 37 people have been injured so far in various incidents during this monsoon while 19 others are missing.