Two people died and three others were hurt on Monday morning after a heavy stone fell on their vehicle in the Munkatiya landslide zone of Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. The accident took place between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on the Kedarnath route.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF stated that their team rushed to the spot as soon as information about the accident came in. With the help of local residents, they carried out rescue operations. The injured were safely taken out and admitted to the Sonprayag hospital.
Officials said this incident reflects how serious and frequent the landslides had become in the hill areas. The SDRF added that their teams were working round-the-clock to carry out relief and rescue operations in such difficult situations.
A day earlier, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had warned that the next 24–48 hours would be critical for Uttarakhand. The Meteorological Department has issued red and orange alerts in several districts due to heavy rainfall.
"Some of our districts are in red alert and some districts are in orange alert... The next 24-48 hours are crucial, and we all have to keep a close watch. Our entire district administration, NDRF, SDRF, all departments are on alert... We are also monitoring the Nanak Sagar Dam. It is flowing 5 feet below the danger level...," the Chief Minister said on Sunday.
Speaking about disaster relief, he said, "We are providing immediate assistance to those whose houses have been affected by the disaster and are relocating them to safe places. Camps have also been set up. Our goal is to ensure that all basic needs are met in the relief camps... Efforts to open the blocked roads are underway..."
Dhami has instructed district-level officials to stay on round-the-clock duty, keeping in view the weather alerts. Chairing a review meeting, he said the state continued to face big challenges due to excessive rain, and the coming days could be more difficult.
He directed officers to take all necessary steps to keep citizens safe. Extra caution is needed on hilly routes because of landslide risks, while arrangements should also be made to deal with waterlogging in the plains.
Dhami further directed Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman to keep monitoring every situation closely from the State Emergency Operations Centre.
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