New Delhi: Rain continued to wreak havoc across the country on Friday, with more landslides in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh blocking crucial highways, and flooded rivers in the northeastern states forcing authorities to evacuate people to safer areas.
At least five more people died in incidents related to rain, even as parts of the country, including Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan, saw a dry day after days of incessant heavy showers.
In Himachal Pradesh, heavy to extremely heavy rains disrupted normal life in many parts, blocking roads, damaging bridges and uprooting trees. Schools remained closed in many parts of the state.
A 70-year-old man was killed after being hit by falling boulders.
from the hillside onto the Buanda-Chwai road in Kullu. In Solan district, two persons sustained injuries after a boulder hit their vehicle in the Arki area.
In Uttarakhand, a teenager died, several people were injured, and schools were closed on Friday as heavy rain battered Uttarakhand over the past 24 hours, triggering landslides and blocking 118 roads across the state, including the Yamunotri National Highway.
Officials said that they have stepped up vigilance following the Meteorological Department’s forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall.
A 100-meter stretch of the Yamunotri National Highway near Syanachatti in Uttarkashi district was damaged by a landslide, and repair work is in progress at the spot.
In Mizoram’s Lunglei district bordering Bangladesh, over 80 families were evacuated to safer locations after the Khawthlangtuipui river overflowed following incessant rainfall over the past week, officials said.
Landslides, rockfalls and other rain-related incidents have also been reported at more than 29 locations across the state, though no casualty or loss of life has been reported so far, they said.
National Highway 54 has been blocked due to a massive landslide on the outskirts of Bualte village in Lunglei district, where several tourists have been stranded for the past four days.
The landslide continues to cut off the southern districts of Lawngtlai and Siaha from the rest of the state.
Heavy downpour for the past few days triggered floods in parts of Tripura, damaging over 4,000 houses and forcing around 11,000 people to seek refuge in relief camps, an official said. No loss of life has been reported till now.
In Uttar Pradesh, two people died in rain-related incidents as many parts of the state saw heavy showers.
Mawana in Meerut district recorded the state’s highest rainfall of 315 mm during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, followed by Jansath in Muzaffarnagar with 270.1 mm.
