Mother-Daughter Duo Killed In Rain Triggered Landslide in Uttarakhand’s Tehri

Tehri: A massive landslide triggered by heavy rain in Uttarakhand’s Tehri led to major destruction in the district, wherein a woman and her teenage daughter were buried in the debris as several houses and shops got washed away on Saturday. According to the information, the 42-year-old woman and her minor daughter were buried under debris, following which a rescue operation was initiated and both mother-daughter duo were pulled out of the debris and shifted to the mortuary of a nearby hospital.

The deceased were identified as Sarita Devi and her 15-year-old daughter Ankita, both residents of Toli village of the Tehri district. The bodies of both the deceased have been sent for post-mortem.

District Magistrate (DM) of Tehri, Mayur Dikshit said that the incident took place when a retaining wall behind their house collapsed and they were buried under debris. Uttarakhand has been witnessing massive rainfall leading to landslides and floods in the area.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Directs Officials to Remain on High Alert

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to remain on high alert and also to provide immediate assistance to those affected by the landslide.

The chief minister took to X, to express his grief over the death of people due to rain-caused calamities, saying, “Sad news has been received about the casualties due to a landslide in Toli village near Budhakedar in Tehri district. The district administration has been instructed to provide immediate help to the affected people and take them to a safe place.”

According to the officials, several shops in Budhakedar were washed away by the swollen Dharmganga River, and the landslide and floodwater also damaged several bridges. People living close to the river have been shifted to safer locations.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that the Chief Minister has directed all the District Magistrates of the state to remain on alert mode at all times while coordinating with SDRF, NDRF, and other rescue teams.

CM Pushkar Dhami appealed to the people in the state to remain indoors and step out only if necessary in the wake of the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s heavy rain alert at many places.

Heavy showers for the past two days in different places in Budhakedar and a cloudburst in Toli and Bhigun villages have caused extensive damage. The downpour damaged many roads and communication infrastructure in several places, affecting locals and several tourists, including those heading to and coming from Kedarnath.

On Friday, more than a hundred tourists were evacuated to safety after they got stranded following heavy rainfall in the Gondar region on the trek route to the Madmaheshwar temple when a swollen river washed away a pedestrian bridge.