Heavy rains trigger flash floods, landslides in Uttarakhand

Heavy rains in Uttarakhand caused a surge in streams that damaged buildings and shops while landslides in the hills blocked national highways and a number of rural motor roads on Thursday.

A swirling stream in Khablisera village washed away eight shops in Uttarkashi district in the early hours on Thursday, the state emergency operation centre (SEOC) here said.

Overnight excessive rains completely damaged three houses at Agarchatti village near Gairsain in Chamoli district. Mud and slush also gushed into eight houses in Agarchatti, it said.

However, no casualties were reported from anywhere.

Badkot and Purola in Uttarkashi district received 88 mm and 84 mm of rain, respectively while the district headquarters received 70 mm of rain. Chamoli gauged 62 mm of rain.

National highways leading to the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri were blocked by debris following landslides at different points, the SEOC said.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway (NH) was blocked at Narkota, Rishikesh-Yamunotri NH at Kharadi and Dabarkot and the Rishikesh-Gangotri NH at Ratudi-Sera, Bandarkot and Naitala, it said.

Tanakapur-Champawat-Ghaat national highway in Campawat district and Tyuni-Chakrata-Tehri-Maletha national highway in Dehradun district were also blocked by rubble at several places.

Steps are on to open all the blocked national highways, the emergency centre said.

More than 160 rural roads in different districts were also blocked, it said.