| 14 killed after heavy overnight rain triggers floods in Uttarakhand, Kedarnath Yatra halted | | | Agencies
DEHRADUN, Aug 2: Fourteen people died and 10 more were injured in heavy overnight rains that triggered flooding and a house collapse as several rivers swelled in Uttarakhand, officials said here on Thursday.
They said that the Kedarnath Yatra was suspended amid the inclement weather conditions as the heavy downpour triggered landslides at many places. The trek route remains blocked by boulders at Ghoraparav, Lincholi, Badi Lincholi and Bhimbali, the officials added.
In an official statement, the Uttarakhand government said the Centre has dispatched two Indian Air Force helicopters, a Chinook and an MI 17, to aid rescue operations in the state after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) took stock of the situation in the wake of the intense showers.
Three aviation turbine fuel tankers have also been sent, it said, adding that the PMO has assured Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of all necessary assistance. BJP president JP Nadda also reviewed the situation, the statement said.
According to information received from the State Emergency Operation Centre here, a child was swept away in a flooded drain in Nainitial's Haldwani. It said a search was on to find him.
Due to heavy rains on Wednesday night, a stretch of road was washed away in Bhimbali on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route with big stones coming down from the hill and blocking the road.
So far, 425 pilgrims have been brought to safety in helicopters from Lincholi and Bhimbali, while 1,100 pilgrims have reached Sonprayag on foot from various places with the help of rescue teams, according to police.
Officials said 14 people have died in rain-related incidents since Wednesday evening -- four in Dehradun, six in Haridwar, three in Tehri and one in Chamoli.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh said two people drowned in a canal in the Raipur area on Wednesday night. He said that the bodies had been recovered. The victims were identified as Sundar Singh and Arjun Singh Rana.
In another incident in Dehradun, two people were swept away while bathing in a river in spate near the Sahasradhara parking on Thursday.
On receiving the information, an SDRF team reached the spot but by then, local people had recovered one body.
The SDRF recovered a second body from the river later. Those killed were residents of Sultanpuri in Delhi -- Indrapal (40) and Bhupendra Singh Rana (43).
In Bharpur village of the Roorkee area of Haridwar district, a house collapsed due to heavy rains, killing four people and injuring 10 others. The condition of eight of them is said to be critical.
In another incident, two people were electrocuted at the Roorkee bus stand around 11:30 pm on Wednesday.
Three members of a family -- Bhanu Prasad (50), his wife Neelam Devi (45) and son Vipin (28) -- were killed in a landslide that damaged their roadside restaurant following a cloudburst in Jakhanyali village of Tehri district's Ghansali area, the officials said.
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