- Wednesday, June 04, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
AT least 12 people were killed on Tuesday (19) after a cloudburst caused flash floods at Ramgarh in Nainital district of the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, official sources said. The latest deaths took the toll from rain-related mishaps in the state to at least 22 since Monday (18) as relentless rain continued to batter it.
District magistrate Dheeraj Singh Garbiyal said that at least 12 bodies have been recovered from the spot while rescue efforts continued to trace several more people who were suspected to have been buried under the debris.
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The cloudburst or a sudden and very heavy localised rainfall, was reported around 5 am local time and caused flash floods in various blocks such as Ramgarh and Okhladanda.
“…the cloud burst in Ramgarh block, about 35 km from Nainital town, caused a flash flood. It resulted in heavy damage in Ramgarh as well as Okhladanda block …,” Garbiyal was quoted as saying by Indian daily Hindustan Times.
Couple arrive for marriage in cooking pot as streets go under water
He added the roads leading to the affected areas have been badly damaged and they were forced to seek help from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. “(They) are now assisting the state agencies in the rescue and relief work,” he said.
In another tragedy in the state, five people died while one was rescued after a wall fell on a shanty in which they were staying. The incident happened in Mukteshwar, which is also located in Nainital district.
Preeti Priyadarshini, Nainital superintendent of police, said the six people were labourers and the wall collapsed on their shelter on Tuesday morning because of heavy rain. She said 17 people reportedly died and more than 900 people were rescued from various places of the district in one day.
The tourism sector was also hit because of the rain and at least 150 tourists, mainly from the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, were left stranded in a resort in Ramnagar area after water from the overflowing Kosi river inundated it. The local police reportedly sent a bus along with some personnel to evacuate them.
At least 150 tourists, mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, were stuck in a resort in the district’s Ramnagar area after the water from overflowing Kosi river flooded it. The local police have sent a bus along with some personnel to rescue them.
The water from Nainital Lake also overflowed onto Mall Road and flooded the Naina Devi temple premises.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami did an aerial survey of the affected areas on Tuesday and reviewed the assessment of losses after reaching Rudraprayag in Rudraprayag district. Uttarakhand cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat and the state’s director general of police Ashok Kumar accompanied Dhami.
According to the state’s disaster management secretary SA Murugesan, Uttarakhand has seen more than 200 millimetres of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami on the situation and assured him all possible help from the central government.
