As unprecedented rains hit Uttarakhand, flooded houses and people, caused floods and washed down bridges, the official death toll climbed to 34 on Tuesday, and at least 18 people were killed or injured in the worst-hit Nainital region. According to reports, several people are missing, raising concerns that the actual death toll may be higher.
Information collected by source from district officials indicates that at least 40 people have died in the state in the past two days. Nainital’s additional magistrate, Ashok Joshi, said the death toll in the area could rise to 27. “We have information about people trapped in multiple locations. Our team has been dispatched, but it is difficult to act in this kind of weather,” he said. On Tuesday, the only railway track leading to Kathgodam Station in Nainital District was washed away by the rising water of the Gaula River, causing hundreds of passengers to be stranded because all 12 trains on this route were cancelled. More than a dozen national and state highways in the area have also been blocked due to landslides.
The mountain city of Nainital was actually turned into a flooded island, which was cut off from the rest of the state for the second day because debris blocked all three routes. Nainital-Haldwani Road was blocked on Monday afternoon, and Nainital-Kaladhungi Road were also blocked for public use at night. The nearby towns of Bhowali, Mukteshwar and Ramgarh also lost road connections.
The rail track cannot be repaired until the water level in Gaula drops. “The train has been cancelled until October 20. Once the water level drops, repairs will begin. Several roads in the area are blocked and it will take several hours to open to traffic. We have asked hotels and host families to provide food and relief supplies for stranded tourists.” Nainital sub-divisional magistrate Prateek Jain said. At the same time, the water level of Lake Naini was one foot above the danger mark on Tuesday, flooding the shopping mall road and bringing several species of fish that inhabit the lake. Tourists and residents were spotted fishing and taking pictures. “Almost every place in Nainital is flooded, restaurants and hotels are closed.
The government requires us to provide tourists with food and necessities,” said Ved Sah, a hotel operator from Nainital. The Naina Devi Temple and the iconic Houseboat Club are also wading in the water. Officials said that although all the gates were opened on Monday, the water level continued to rise. The low-lying areas of the Kumaon Himalayas also suffered rain damage. A bridge in Haldwani was washed away, while an elephant was rescued and washed away in the strong current of Gaula.
News Source : The toymatrix
