Uttarakhand: 55 killed in natural disasters, road accidents since June 15

DEHRADUN: Nearly 55 people lost their lives and one person remains missing due to natural disasters and road accidents during the first month of monsoon (from June 15 to date) in Uttarakhand, as per the data released by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
Among these fatalities, 22 were caused by natural disasters, with landslides being the primary reason.US Nagar district suffered the most casualties, with nine deaths primarily attributed to flood-related incidents, while Chamoli witnessed four fatalities.
According to SEOC, Pauri Garhwal, Champawat and Almora districts have each recorded two deaths due to natural disasters over the past month. Like previous years, the majority of the casualties this year were caused by natural calamities such as landslides, rockfalls and floods.
"Landslides and rockfalls during monsoon pose significant challenges. Necessary advisories are shared with pilgrims and tourists on precautions to be taken before travelling to the hills," a senior official of disaster management department said.
On July 6, two pilgrims from Hyderabad were killed after being crushed under boulders following a rain-triggered landslide near Karnaprayag in Chamoli district. They were returning from Badrinath on a motorcycle when the accident occurred.
Besides natural disasters, road accidents have claimed the lives of 33 people during this rainy season. The recent one occurred in Rudraprayag on June 15, when a tempo traveller carrying tourists skidded off the Badrinath national highway, rolled 200m down a gorge, and fell into the Alaknanda river, resulting in the loss of 15 lives.