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In a tragic incident nine people lost their lives after the vehicle they were travelling on was swept away by the flood waters in the Dhela River on Friday morning.
The incident happened in Ramnagar of Uttarakhand’s Nainital district at around 5 am. All the victims were tourists from Patiala and were residing at a resort in Dhela.
ANI
They were on their way back to Punjab when their vehicle was swept away.
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Tourists were unaware of the danger in the area
Four bodies have been retrieved and five bodies are still trapped in the car amid the heavy flow of water due to heavy rainfall in the state. Efforts are on to remove the bodies of the
“Nine people died, one girl was rescued alive and about 5 bodies are still trapped after a car washed away in the Dhela river of Ramanagar amid the heavy flow of water induced by rains early this morning, Kumaon Range, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Nilesh Anand Bharan told to ANI.
ANI
“Five more people are still trapped in the car. Efforts are being made to rescue them. The car is badly stuck,” he informed.
As Uttarakhand is witnessing heavy rainfall, the flow of water in the river is faster than usual, the accident occurred due to ignorance, the DIG said.
A 22-year-old woman identified as Nazia was rescued alive from the car. She has been sent to the Ramnagar hospital.
ANI
Monsoon brings widespread destruction
Uttarakhand has been receiving heavy to very heavy rains for the past few days and the showers are predicted to continue in the next couple of days as well.
Landslides and other destruction have been reported from several parts of the state in the past couple of days.
On Wednesday, a newly elected village chief was killed while he was on his way to take oath and three people accompanying him were injured following a landslide in Tehri district.
Uttarakhand is prone to natural disasters throughout the year, which increases during the monsoons.
#Badrinath Highway again closed due to Landslide at Red Zone #Sirobgarh
Countless Slides at this location in past decades still no solution/alternative#Rudraprayag #Uttarakhand #Chamoli pic.twitter.com/XzVylgx6Oi
— Weatherman Shubham (@shubhamtorres09) July 2, 2022
According to data from the Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre, around 600 people lost their lives and 500 others were injured in natural calamities from 2014 to 2020.
Hundreds of houses, other buildings, roads and bridges were damaged during this period. More than 2,050 hectares of agricultural land was also destroyed in these disasters.
Why is Uttarakhand experiencing frequent natural disasters?
Experts maintain that the Himalayas are young and fragile, and therefore, highly sensitive to natural disasters such as landslides, earthquakes and floods, especially during the monsoon when its vulnerability to calamities is heightened.
Dr Sushil Kumar, former Geophysics Group head at the Institute of Himalayan Geology, said as the Himalayas is a relatively younger mountain range, it consists of only soil on its upper surface up to 30-50 feet.
This soil begins eroding if it is tampered with even slightly, especially during the rains, leading to landslides.
Fresh #landslide at Sirobagad in #uttarakhand earlier today, blocking the Badrinath highway. #landslide pic.twitter.com/E9bLuAzAXo
— Gaurav Talwar (@gauravtalwarTOI) July 1, 2022
He said cutting of the hills for construction of the all-weather road project, the huge rush of pilgrims for the Char Dham Yatra and increased rains due to the increased catchment area of the Tehri Dam have also increased the state’s vulnerability to natural calamities.
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