Five people were found dead in a car wreckage in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag on Friday amid heavy rainfalls.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also visited the rain-hit areas in Kotdwar. He conducted an aerial and ground survey and interacted with reporters.
Uttarakhand has witnessed rains and landslides lately and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday predicted the state is likely to have "isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall" over the next five days.
5 deaths on Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag
Bodies of five persons were on Friday recovered from a car wreckage buried in landslide debris on Rudraprayag, according to police.
The incident happened on the Kedarnath Yatra route. Three of the five deceased were from Gujarat, reported PTI.
The police tweeted, "Today, while opening road, a Swift Dzire car numbered UK 07 TB 6315 was recovered under the debris in a highly damaged stage. Bodies of five people travelling in the car were also recovered."
The PTI reported that the accident happened on Thursday night at Tarsali in Phata area on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district but bodies were recovered on Friday as there was a let-up in incessant rains. While three victims are from Gujarat, one is from Haridwar, and efforts are on to identify the fifth victim.
CM Dhami surveys rain-hit area
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami surveyed the rain hit Kotdwar on ground and in the air. Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker and local MLA Ritu Khanduri was also present with Dhami doing his ground inspection.
In Kotdwar, a man had gone missing in a landslide a couple of days ago and several bridges were damaged, cutting off a large population from the rest of the state, reported PTI.
Dhami directed Pauri District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan to work on the repair of the damaged bridge in Gadighati, reported PTI, adding that he also inspected the alternative bridge over Malan River connecting Kotdwar and Bhabar.
Dhami told media that the first endeavour of the government was to restore normalcy in the state which was disrupted by the monsoon rains and to provide quick aid and relief to the people affected by the calamity, following which the damage caused by the disaster in various areas would be assessed and the deficiencies in the arrangements would be rectified.
Normal life has been badly affected in Uttarakhand due to incessant rains in recent weeks that have caused landslides, floods, flash-floods, and cloudbursts. These incidents have so far killed 58 and injured 37, according to information received from the State Emergency Operation Center. Around 19 others are still missing.
In addition, 1,167 houses were damaged, including 33 which were completely damaged, and a large amount of agricultural land was also washed away, reported PTI, adding that roads and bridges have also suffered a lot due to the rains in the state.
IMD issues red alert for 6 districts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for six districts of Uttarakhand over the weekend.
"Dehradun Meteorological Center has issued an “orange” alert for Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts for Friday and a “red” alert from August 12 to 14," reported PTI on Friday.
CM Dhami in tweet requested all the residents and tourists to avoid unnecessary travel in light of the alerts.
Dhami said he has instructed the district administration and SDRF to remain in alert mode for 24 hours and he is also monitoring every situation by establishing contact with the concerned authorities
