13 dead in Dehradun as rain wreaks havoc in hills again
Nearly 3,000 tourists were stranded in Mussoorie, officials said
Torrential rains continued to batter the hills on Tuesday, claiming at least 15 lives in Uttarakhand — 13 of them in the state capital, Dehradun, which bore the brunt of the latest wave of rain-related disasters — triggering landslides, snapping vital road links, and causing widespread destruction across the region. At least 16 people were also reported missing in Dehradun.
The Dehradun–Mussoorie road, a key route connecting the hill town to the state capital, suffered severe damage as parts of it were washed away. Landslides blocked all major access routes from Mussoorie to Dehradun, including the Jharipani, Chunakhala, and Kimadi roads, further isolating the affected areas. Nearly 3,000 tourists were stranded in Mussoorie, officials said.
The two other deaths in Uttarakhand were reported from Nainital and Pithoragarh.
According to the Dehradun disaster management officials, Sahastradhara, on the Dehradun-Haridwar highway, Maldevta, on the outskirts of the Doon Valley near Raipur, and Premnagar, which falls on Dehradun-Paonta Sahib route, were among the worst-hit areas in Tuesday’s downpour.
Though many parts of Uttarakhand are usually hit by rain-related disasters during monsoon every year, Dehradun is spared large-scale damage due to its flatter terrain. Around 20 people have died in the district since April in rain-related incidents, but Tuesday’s single-day toll has been the deadliest to hit the region in a while.
District disaster management officer Rishabh Kumar confirmed the death toll. “As rescue and relief operations are underway, the numbers may change,” he said, adding that efforts to locate the missing and provide aid to stranded residents are ongoing. “Thirteen bridges, 10 culverts, two houses, and 21 roads were severely damaged,” he said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for next four days. “Light to moderate rain/thundershower likely to occur at many places in Dehradun, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat & Udham Singh Nagar districts and at a few places in remaining districts of Uttarakhand,” the forecast said.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, civic bodies and police were pressed into service, officials said.
In the Premnagar area, eight labourers died and four went missing after being swept away in the swollen Tons (also known as Tamsa) river, originating from the Bandarpunch mountain at a height of 6,315 metres in Garhwal Himalayas.
In Sahastradhara’s Karligarh village, a suspected cloudburst pushed debris into at least 23 homes and several resorts, leaving six people missing. At least 400 people were rescued from there, officials added.
In Jharipani, which is 24km from the Dehradun on the way to Mussoorie, two people died after they were trapped inside a collapsed house. Two others were killed after being swept away near Rajpur Road.
Water from the Tons entered the Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple, one of the city’s most prominent shrines, washing away one person.
Uttarakhand disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said the relief and rescue operations in the affected parts were continuing and around 900 people had been evacuated. First responders also rescued 400-500 students who were stranded after the Devbhoomi Institute campus located in the Poundha area of Dehradun got flooded.
The rains began on Monday evening and intensified after midnight. Sahastradhara received 192mm rainfall, while Maldevta 141.5mm, officials said.
Weather experts pointed to a “violent interaction” between dry westerlies and moisture-laden easterlies that contributed to the latest string of disasters in the hill state, and a major weather system was otherwise absent from the region.
“The rains were a result of violent interaction between warm and dry winds due to an anti-cyclone near Rajasthan and humid easterly winds,” Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology) at Skymet, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The India Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon, which began withdrawing from northwest India on September 14, three days ahead of schedule, has now retreated from more parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. However, the Himalayas continue to be bogged by a raft of rain-related disasters.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely to continue in Uttarakhand, east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim for next two days, IMD has warned.
Mussoorie sub-divisional magistrate Rahul Anand teams were deployed to restore road connectivity and a Bailey bridge was being rushed from Rishikesh to replace a collapsed stretch near the popular Shiv Mandir.
Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal and senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh visited affected areas in Sahastradhara and Maldevta and met displaced families sheltered in schools. “All departments under the disaster response system have been activated,” Bansal said, citing an IMD alert for more rain.
SSP Singh said police were monitoring blocked routes and diverting traffic. A culvert at Laltappar on the Dehradun–Haridwar highway was partially damaged, forcing diversions.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an on-site inspection of Maldevta and Kesarwala areas. “All rivers are in spate following heavy rains. Roads have been breached at 25 to 30 places. Approach roads are cut off. Houses and government properties have been damaged. Rescue teams are working on a war footing to restore normalcy,” he said in Maldevta.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Dhami and assured assistance.
The local hotel association announced free accommodation for stranded tourists. “All our members have been directed to provide complimentary stay to tourists stuck due to road closures,” said Sanjay Agarwal, president of the association.
Relentless rains also lashed other parts of the Himalayan hills, including the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. In Mandi, which was already roiled by tremendous disasters this monsoon, three members of a family were killed and a bus stand was submerged after multiple landslides and flash floods on Tuesday. One person was reported missing.
In the northeast, multiple landslides cut off the Imphal-Ukhrul national highway 202 in Manipur, with the government extending holidays for educational institutions for another day.
According to the regional meteorological centre, heavy rainfall was recorded at Sainik School, Pangei and Imphal East, while Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Imphal experienced moderate rainfall.
Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science (JNIMS) hospital in Porompat Imphal East, one of the main government health institutions, had also begun to flood and authorities have begun evacuations and stopped new admissions.
(With inputs from Thomas Ngangom in Imphal and agencies)
