As the rain fury continues in Uttarakhand, Chamoli district witnessed heavy overnight rainfall that blocked the Badrinath National Highway at five locations on Friday. A massive mountain collapse near Joshimath and Animath brought debris onto the road, cutting off movement for pilgrims and locals. Across the state, six people were killed and 11 went missing as cloudbursts and landslides triggered widespread devastation.
Authorities have begun efforts to clear the debris, but visuals show entire stretches buried under mounds of rock and mud. The highway is blocked at Pagalnala, Bhanerpani, Nandprayag, Kameda (Gauchar) and Animath near Joshimath, leaving Badrinath and Hemkund pilgrims stranded along with local commuters.
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Bageshwar bore the worst of the disaster. In Bageshwar’s Kapkot area, heavy rain damaged houses in Pausari village, killing two people and leaving three missing. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) identified the deceased as Basanti Devi and Bachuli Devi. Her son, Pawan, was rescued in an injured condition, while her husband Ramesh Chandra Joshi and two others, Girish and Puran Joshi, are missing.
In Chamoli’s Mopata village, a landslide buried a house and cowshed, killing 62-year-old Tara Singh and his wife Kamla Devi. Another person was injured, while 25 livestock were reported missing.
Rudraprayag district was also hit hard. Three cloudbursts in the Basukedaar area triggered landslides that killed a woman, Sarita Devi, in Jakholi. Eight people went missing in Chenagad, four of whom were identified as Sate Singh Negi, Kuldip Singh Negi, Neeraj and Raj.
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