2 killed as heavy rains trigger landslides, cloudburst and house collapse

Two persons were killed as heavy rains, triggering incidents of landslide, cloudburst and house collapse, on Wednesday continued to lash Uttarakhand, officials said. A 50-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman died after their houses collapsed due to heavy rains in Chamoli, District Disaster Management officer Nand Kishore Joshi said.

"Dozens of houses collapsed due to landslides and cloudbursts in Karnaprayag, Thirpak and Tefana in Chamoli district," he said, adding that the affected families are being shifted to safer places. The water level in several rivers, including Ganga, Yamuna, Kali, Gori and Sharda, is increasing and the situation is being monitored by the authorities, state disaster management officials said.

Due to continuous rains and landslide, Rishikesh-Badrinath and Rishikesh-Kedarnath highways have been blocked from Chamoli to Karnaprayag in Sunali village and between Rudraprayag and Tilwada respectively.