Woman dies, person missing after heavy rain wreaks havoc in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

Gopeshwar: A young woman died and another person went missing on Saturday after heavy overnight rain in Tharali town of Chamoli district sent a rain drain flooding and depositing debris at several houses and markets in the area, according to State Emergency Operations Centre.

Tunri Gadhera, the rain drain that channels excess rainwater, also filled the tehsil office with debris before joining the Pindar River.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the death of the woman.

The incident took place around 1 am when Tunri Gadhera started overflowing, filling muck in many houses in the tehsil complex, Chepdon Bazaar, Kotdeep Bazaar and the surrounding areas of Tharali.

The officials said the woman died in a house in Sagwara village after being buried under debris. Her body has been recovered. On the other hand, a person is reported to be missing in Chepdon market.

Some vehicles are also buried in the debris while the SDM residence has also been damaged.

According to the Chamoli District Disaster Management Centre, the Karnaprayag-Gwaldam National Highway connecting Tharali has been closed. Additionally, the Tharali-Sagwara Motorway and the Dungri Motorway have also been blocked.

The district administration has declared a holiday for Saturday in all the schools of the three development blocks, including Tharali, due to the current situation and the forecast of heavy rain.

According to the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC), many agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, are engaged in relief and rescue operations on the spot.

Meanwhile, orders have been issued for the acquisition of the rest house and office of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam in Kulsari village and the building of Garhwal Mandal Development Corporation in Dewal village with immediate effect. They will be used temporarily to carry out the work of the tehsil office and set up relief camps for the affected people.