House collapse near Joshimath leaves two dead

Gopeshwar: Two Nepalese nationals were killed and five others injured when a house collapsed at Helang near subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, officials said on Wednesday.

There were seven people inside the two-storey house when it collapsed at around 8 pm on Tuesday. Rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident.

One of them died on the spot while the other succumbed to injuries at a hospital early on Wednesday, they said. Five people have been rescued from the rubble of the house out of whom two are in a serious condition, he said. The house was built near a crusher unit on the banks of the Alaknanda River.

People working in the crusher unit were living in the house. The deceased were identified as Anmol (19) and Prince (21), both from Nepal. Earlier this year, several houses in Joshimath were damaged due to land subsidence and since the onset of the monsoon, the problem has aggravated.