Cloudbursts hits Tehri’s Devprayag, no loss of life reported till now

Cloudbursts hits Tehri’s Devprayag, no loss of life reported till now

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any shops and houses were damaged by cloudburst in Uttarakhand's Devprayag, about 120 kilometres from Dehradun. No injuries have been reported yet, a senior official said.

"No injuries have been reported yet. SDRF teams are on their way to the area," Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar was quoted as saying.

According to authorities, the incident took place around 5 pm, damaging about a dozen shops and other buildings. As most of these business centres are closed due to Covid restrictions, no injuries have been reported. The water level in the area is rising, a police official told reporters.

This comes months ago after more than 200 people died or went missing in the state capital Chamoli after a glacier break that created a major river flood on the Rishiganga river.

According to recent reports, heavy rains have led to abrupt growth in Devprayag river water levels. Several shops, houses, and other buildings in Devprayag market in Tehri Garhwal district were reportedly flooded on Tuesday evening. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is rushing to the scene and rescue operations are underway, confirmed Uttarakhand Police Director General Ashok Kumar.“Fortunately, no injuries have been reported yet. Due to nationwide time, stores are closed. Rescue teams are on their way to assess the damage,” said Kumar.

Similar incidents were reported in Kumarada village in Chiniyalisaur village, Uttarkashi, and in the Sign Tok area in Narkota village in Rudraprayag on Tuesday. Rudraprayag police said two areas near Narkota reported heavy rainfall, but no reports of missing people have been reported so far. SDRF, DDRF, and fire services are under pressure to work to manage the situation. Police and administrative officers arrived at the scene to assess the situation. Damage to some homes and roads was reported, sources said.

According to the forecast, widespread rains could occur across the region with heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday. Most of the rain will be on Wednesday i.e., May 12, and Thursday i.e., May 13.

Similarly, the IMD had placed both provinces under orange warning from Tuesday to Thursday with warnings of thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds at speeds of up to 40 kmph. The orange warning means that residents and authorities must be ‘prepared’ for adverse weather conditions.