Bridge in U'khand Uttarkashi swept away in flash floods

UTTARKASHI: The Kheda Valley Bridge located over River Supin in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi town collapsed and was washed away in flash floods in the aftermath of a torrential downpour on Sunday, an official said.

The bridge connected five villages of Uttarkashi's Mori block to the rest of the country.

"The only bridge built on the Supin river to connect a dozen villages in the Panchgai belt of the Mori development block of Uttarkashi district to the rest of the country and the world has been swept away," said the official.

The official added that after the bridge was washed away, the road connecting the five villages was entirely cut off. "After the bridge washed away, the road connecting five villages was entirely cut off," he said.

The officials also stated that after the bridge was washed away, a vehicle became trapped in the high current of the river and had to be dragged with the aid of a tractor.

A vehicle was also stuck in the strong current of the river, which was pulled with the help of a tractor, he said.

As intense spell of rain continued over the northwestern Himalayan region on Saturday and Sunday morning, numerous roads were blocked and several people were stuck due to landslides in Uttarakhand.

In Uttarakhand, Badrinath National Highway was closed due to a landslide near Chhinka, and NH-9 was closed in the Kumaon division at Champawat. In the Tehri district, five out of 11 passengers were rescued after a vehicle rolled downhill in Gular in the district while a search operation for six other passengers was underway.

As per the State Disaster Response Force, the accident occurred on the Srinagar-Badrinath Highway.

Badrinath Highway is continuously obstructed due to falling of debris and boulders from the hill near Chhinka.

"The highway is obstructed since Sunday morning due to continuous falling of debris from the hill, Badrinath National Highway has again been obstructed near Chhinka," an official said.

Several parts of the northeast witnessed an intense spell of rain on Saturday.Due to continuous heavy rains, the water level of the Bhagirathi River has increased in Uttarkashi. In Joshiada, part of the wall got damaged due to river erosion.

"Instructions have been given to the government departments to be vigilant and people have also been asked to be careful," the officials said.

The rains also led to waterlogging and traffic jams, roadblocks in hilly areas and several road stretches getting damaged.

Meanwhile, waterlogging was seen across Haridwar town, which is currently seeing a heavy rush of kanwariyas coming to fetch Ganga water.

As the Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Sunday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that all state officials have been asked to remain alert in view of a heavy rainfall alert for the State.

"All pilgrims should proceed on their yatra keeping the weather conditions in mind," the CM told ANI. The State Disaster Operation Center located in the State Secretariat is keeping an eye on the state in view of the alerts of the Meteorological Department.