Six people were killed and four others injured when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by heavy boulders triggered by a landslide in Devprayag area of Tehri Garhwal district of the state on Saturday afternoon, according to State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) officials.
“The incident occurred in the afternoon at around 2.30 pm near Devprayag town. It happened when the mini-bus bearing a Punjab registration number was hit by heavy boulders due to a landslide,” Vijay, a SDRF official said.
“The SDRF and the local police soon reached the spot after receiving information about the incident from the locals. Five people died on the spot while one other person succumbed later during treatment after being rushed to the hospital,” he added.
In the initial investigation it was found that all of them were travelling towards Srinagar town of Pauri Garhwal from Rishikesh.
“The four injured people have been shifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh after receiving primary treatment in a nearby hospital. The identities of the victims are being ascertained,” he said.
In another incident, a 30-year-old man drowned in Kho river of Kotdwar area in Pauri Garhwal district.
“SDRF had received information about the incident in the morning at around 8.30am. A team rushed to the spot and searched for his body for some time. After fishing it out of the river, they handed it over to the local police which is investigating the case,” Vijay said.
Earlier, the Dehradun meteorological centre for the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert for heavy to very rainfall in at least eight districts of the state on Saturday. The districts included Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Nainital and Pithoragarh.
In its weather forecast for the next 24 hrs, it has predicted light showers as well as intense showers in some areas of the state.
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