Five people died and three went missing after heavy rain and cloudbursts hit several districts of Uttarakhand early Friday. The downpour triggered landslides, burying around 30–40 families under rubble and damaging many houses, officials said.
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, and Bageshwar were the worst-affected districts.
According to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), heavy overnight rain damaged several houses in Pausari Gram Panchayat in Kapkot area of Bageshwar district. Two people were killed and three others went missing. Two bodies have been recovered so far.
In Chamoli’s Mopata village, a house and cowshed were buried in a landslide, killing a couple and injuring one person, Chief Development Officer Abhishek Tripathi said.
In Rudraprayag’s Basukedaar area, heavy rain and landslides damaged more than half a dozen villages. Officials said 30–40 families in Taljaman village are trapped in debris and floodwaters. Disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman confirmed that a woman died in a house collapse at Jakholi in Rudraprayag.
Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde said reports suggest four locals and four Nepalis are trapped under debris in Chenagad area. Rescue teams are struggling to reach due to broken roads at 7–8 places. A house was damaged in Syur village and a car parked on the roadside was swept away by the debris. Ravines near Badeth, Bagaddhar, and Taljamani villages are flooded.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X "Sad news has been received about some families being stranded due to debris falling in the wake of cloudbursts in Badeth Dungar under Tehsil Basukedaar area of Rudraprayag district and Dewal area of Chamoli district."
"Relief and rescue work is going on on a war footing by the local administration, I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard, I have spoken to the Disaster Secretary and District Magistrates and given necessary instructions for effective conduct of rescue operations," he added.
"I pray to Baba Kedar for everyone's safety," he said.
Dhami also held a video conference with district magistrates, asking them to speed up relief efforts. Teams of NDRF, SDRF, DDRF, and revenue police have been sent to the affected areas.
In Tehri’s Budha Kedar area, rains and cloudbursts caused heavy losses. Livestock sheds and temples were buried in debris. Locals said a toilet and courtyard of a house in Genwali village were hit by landslides. Former village head Kirti Singh Rana said potato fields were also buried, though no casualties were reported.
The irrigation department’s security wall built after last year’s disaster was washed away. Continuous rainfall has swollen the Balganga, Dharmganga, and Bhilangana rivers, creating panic among locals.
The Alaknanda, Mandakini, and their tributaries are also rising. Police are making announcements to alert residents along the riverbanks.
The Badrinath highway was blocked at several points in Chamoli, including Nandprayag, Kameda, Bhanerpani, Pagalnala, Jilasoo, Gulabkoti, and Chatwapipal. In Rudraprayag, the highway was blocked at Sirobgadh, while the Kedarnath highway was cut off at four locations between Banswara and Kund to Chopta.
The administration said teams are working to clear the roads. Pilgrims have been advised to travel only after confirming road conditions and following police and administration updates.
The MeT department issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rain in Bageshwar, Chamoli, Dehradun, and Rudraprayag over the next 24 hours. An orange alert has been issued for Champawat, Haridwar, Pithoragarh, Udham Singh Nagar, and Uttarkashi.
This monsoon has already caused widespread destruction in Uttarakhand. On August 5, a flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river destroyed large parts of Dharali, a key stopover on the Gangotri route. Hotels, homestays, and even an Army camp in nearby Harsil were washed away.
In that disaster, 69 people went missing, including nine Army personnel, 25 Nepali citizens, 13 from Bihar, six from Uttar Pradesh, eight from Dharali, five from nearby Uttarkashi, two from Tehri, and one from Rajasthan.
Also Read: Cloudburst in Rudraprayag, Chamoli, families trapped under debris
Follow us
