Four persons have died and several others are feared trapped in rubble on a hillside after a cloudburst triggered heavy rains in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
Heavy downpour late on Thursday was followed by a cloudburst at Malari, which led to the collapse of a major chunk of a hill.
According to media reports, the deceased and those trapped were workers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
A team of experts belonging to the State Disaster Management Department was rushed to the site.
Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), including a communication team, were mobilised to the area for rescue operations.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed his condolences and ordered the district administration to speed up the rescue work.
The heavy rains and inclement weather have also disrupted the Char Dham pilgrimage, the official told IANS. The Badrinath-Lambagad highway has been block, and also the Gangotri National Highway between Therang and Gangnani, near Nagdevta due to debris coming down on the road.
“Owing to some landslides and the subsequent debris falling on the highway traffic has been halted at Gangotri, Gangnani, Bhatwadi and Uttarkashi,” said the official.
Labourers of the BRO are working to clear the road as there is a long queue of vehicles that are part of the annual ‘Char Dham’ (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath) pilgrimage.
The Hemkund pilgrimage continues uninterrupted.
(With agency inputs)