Ghansali cloudburst toll mounts to four, 3 missing

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, May 29

Four persons died in Chinyali Saud and Dunda tehsil of Uttarkashi district in the cloudburst that wreaked havoc in Ghansali yesterday. Besides, three persons, who were in forest with their cattle, are reportedly missing.

Villagers, along with the SDRF team, are searching for the missing men. Ganga View Hotel, which had suffered damages in the cloudburst in 2013, has been damaged this time. Its building can fall anytime.

Dunda SDM Vijay Nath Shukla visited the site and asked the occupants to evacuate the hotel, taking into consideration the risk.

A man died in Haridwar after a tree fell on him, said BP Ghildyal, Deputy Director, State Disaster Management unit.

In a press statement released today, he said the Ghansali block of Tehri district and Chinyali Saud block of Uttarkashi had been affected due to the cloudburst and heavy rain.

Markets in Ghansali and Chamyala along with several villages, including Saitakot, Girgaon, Kothiyada, Silyara, Ardhangi and Kot, have bore the brunt of the natural calamity.

More than 100 families have been affected. As many as 34 cattle and a man were swept away in the Ghansali region.

Four bullocks died and five houses were damaged in Sitakot village. Around 100 houses in Kotyada village, one house in Girgaon village, three houses in Gram Silayara and one house in Shrikot village have been damaged.

The Chamyala-Gansali road has been blocked. It has received damages at several spots and the PWD Department has deployed five JCBs to clear the road.

Meanwhile, 300 people took shelter at a seed storage centre and 250 others were given shelter at the Vaileshwar Community Centre.

Another 150 have been accommodated in an ashram near Ghansali. The administration has made arrangements for food and water, said an official of the disaster management.

The Char Dham yatra has started again as all routes leading to major shrines are open. The departments of forest and electricity have begun the exercise to remove the fallen trees and restore electricity that has been disrupted due to the rainstorm.

All District Magistrates have been alerted as normal rain is expected in the next 48 hours in the state.