Dehradun/NEW DELHI Heavy monsoon rains today wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and flooded parts of Haryana where the water level in the Yamuna rose alarmingly, leaving 25 people dead and l000 stranded.
The toll in the rain fury is expected to climb with 50 people missing in Uttarakhand where authorities suspended the chardham yatra to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The annual Kailash Mansarovar ‘yatra’ was also suspended in view of heavy rains in Uttarakhand.
The rain has caused havoc in Kedarnath Valley, one of the four Hindu pilgrim spots (Char Dham) in Uttarakhand, where more than 100 houses have reportedly collapsed due to landslide. Reports also say that nearly 24,000 pilgrims are stranded in the valley because of landslides.
10 choppers have been ordered to assist in evacuating those stranded, however, unfavourable weather conditions have made it impossible for the choppers to land. 12 teams of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) have reached some of the worst-affected areas like Rudraprayag .
Flash floods in the Assiganga in Uttarkashi swept away vehicles and heavy machineries yesterday evening with a high alert being sounded for local residents and labourers to move to higher ground. The state government has sounded a warning of 48 hours to all those on the Char Dham Yatra across the hill-districts.
Both Mandakini and Alaknanda, major tributaries of the Ganga, are flowing over the danger mark and the bridge connecting Rudraprayag and Gaurikund has been damaged leading to its closure, disaster management officer Meera Kenthura said.
State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Yashpal Arya said the administration is on alert to deal with any emergency. (Agencies)
