Monsoon mayhem: Car washed away in Uttarakhand; landslides in J&K
The monsoon rains are wreaking havoc in the north Indian hills by triggering landslides. In Uttarakhand's Ramnagar district, nine persons reportedly died after their car got washed away in the gushing waters of the Dhela river on Friday morning. Meanwhile, landslides and mud slush have blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Following landslides in Shimla's Mashobra region, 19 families were moved to safer places.
9 killed, 5 trapped, 1 rescued as car washes away
While nine persons died on Friday morning after a car was washed away in the Dhela river in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar, as many as five are reportedly still trapped and one girl was rescued alive. The river was flowing at full capacity owing to the heavy rains in the region, confirmed Anand Bharan, DIG of the Kumaon Range. The search and rescue operations are on.
Rescue operation on in Uttarakhand
Jammu-Srinagar National Highway blocked
Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was reportedly blocked by landslides and mud slush induced by rain on Friday. "Restoration exercise has started...the highway is likely to be restored for traffic after a few hours if there is no further landslide occurrence till then," stated traffic department officials. The strategic highway is used to deliver supplies to Kashmir Valley and also by Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.
Orange alert in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is reportedly bearing the brunt of incessant rains with Kullu, Shimla, and Chamba among the worst affected districts. Nineteen families were moved to safer areas in Shimla's Mashobra following landslides in close proximity to the buildings they were living in. An orange alert has been issued for several areas with heavy to very heavy rain likely to occur on Friday and Saturday.
Goa: 2-day school holiday after IMD red alert
Amid the incessant rains lashing Goa, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared a red alert in the state. Following this, the Goa government declared a two-day holiday for schools up to Class 8 on Friday and Saturday; the situation will be monitored for the next two days. The Goa IMD predicted heavy to very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in both districts of Goa.
Assam: Flood condition marginally improves
The flood condition in Assam reportedly improved marginally on Thursday even as over nine lakh people continued to remain affected by the deluge in 12 districts. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority said that a child drowned in the Cachar district on Thursday. The total number of people killed in this year's flood and landslides has now gone up to 187 in the state.
