Five people have died and 10 are missing following heavy rains and landslide in two areas of Dharchula Tehsil in Pithoragarh district in the wee hours of Monday. The Government machinery is working in the search and rescue operation in the locations which were also surveyed from the air by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
According to the State emergency operation centre heavy rain in the wee hours of Monday followed by landslide at about 2:45 am at Mangti Nala (Tawaghat) left one person dead and eight people —including six army men and two locals — missing.
Four people were injured, 24 mules and 16 goats died, two vehicles and three army tents were destroyed here. In the Malpa area, four people are dead and two are missing whiel one person is injured.
The authorities have deployed one helicopter for use in search, rescue and other assistance in the area. Personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Army, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police along with district administration officials are present at the site conducting the search, rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat surveyed the disaster affected areas of Pithoragarh district on Monday from air. The CM sought information from the district administration officials about the search, rescue and relief operations in the areas affected by the disaster on Monday and the areas affected by disaster scenarios some days ago.
At the Nainisaini airstrip, Rawat sought information from the officials about the rescue and relief works while stressing that no laxity should be allowed in the rescue and relief works. He directed officials to ensure that food grains and clean drinking water are facilitated for the people living in the disaster affected areas.
All possible assistance will be provided for the rescue and relief works in the disaster affected areas, added the CM. Rawat also directed the Pithoragarh district magistrate to speed up the search and rescue works for those still missing since the disaster. Attempts should be made to immediately open the routes which are currently blocked.
He further directed that the district administration should ensure the availability of a helicopter in the view of the disaster vulnerability in the border area of Dharchula. Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant, Didihat MlA BS Chufal, Gangolihat MlA Meena Gangola, DM C Ravishankar and other officials were also present during the CM’s inspection.