2 Pilgrims Washed Away, Several Stranded As Temporary Bridge Collapses in Uttarakhand

Uttarkashi: Two pilgrims were washed away and as many as 30-40 pilgrims were left stranded after a temporary bridge collapsed due to a sudden increase in water flow in a river at Devgad in Uttarakhand on Friday. The tragic incident happened about 8-9 km ahead of Gangotri on the Gomukh footpath.

Upon receiving the information, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team reached the spot and helped the stranded pilgrims cross the river safely.
According to the SDRF, sixteen pilgrims have been saved, and the rescue operation for others is underway.

Earlier on Thursday, the SDRF rescued 10 youngsters who were stranded on an island near Robbers Cave in Dehradun. "We received information from the City Control Room (CCR) that some people had been trapped on an island near Robbers Cave (Guchhupani), for whose rescue an SDRF team is required," SDRF officials said.

On receiving the information, the SDRF rescue team, along with sub-inspector Laxmi Rawat from post-Sahastradhara, immediately left for the site of the incident with the necessary rescue equipment.

The SDRF team reached the site of the incident and took immediate action. Subsequently, the 10 people trapped on the island were brought to a safe place by crossing the river with great difficulty using rope through the strong current of the river, said the SDRF.

Heavy rains in Haridwar last week caused severe flooding, with rising water levels in the Ganga River leading to vehicles floating and roads being submerged.

Heavy downpours resulted in the Ganga River's water level rising significantly, flooding roads and leaving several vehicles partially or completely submerged.
Local authorities had advised residents and visitors to avoid bathing in the river due to the hazardous conditions.

Badrinath national highway blocked

Vehicular movement on the Badrinath National Highway in Chamoli district was halted for several hours on Friday morning due to the falling and piling up of debris at two places in Chamoli district. The disruption affected the busy Bhanerpani-Pipalkoti Naga Panchayata road and Angthala road, leaving many commuters and locals stranded.

According to Chamoli Police, debris near Angthala in the Kotwali Chamoli area caused the Badrinath National Highway to be blocked. The incident was reported at around 6.54 am. Similarly, falling debris between Bhanerpani (Pipalkoti) and the Nagar Panchayat Pipalkoti area was reported at around 6.49 am.
These incidents halted vehicular movement on the Badrinath National Highway.

Local authorities and police launched an operation to clear the debris, and traffic was resumed at both locations only after three hours.

"The blocked travel route on the Badrinath National Highway near Bhanerpani (Pipalkoti) in the Kotwali Chamoli area is now open for traffic," the police said in a post on X.

"The blocked road near Bhanerpani and the old Nagar Panchayat Pipalkoti area is now cleared," it said in another post. 

India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert on Friday for extremely heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand and other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Uttarakhand is expected to receive heavy (64.5-115.5 m) to very heavy (115.5-204.44 mm) and extremely heavy rainfall (>204.4 mm) from July 3 to July 6. Whereas, on July 7, the state is expected to receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, the IMD said.