New Delhi: On Thursday, intense rains in Uttarakhand's Chamoli triggered flash floods and landslides, burying at least 16 people under the debris of their homes in the village of Nandanagar, per several news reports. Late on Thursday night, rescue workers extracted two people from under the ruins of their houses, per a report by National Herald. Efforts are on to rescue the remaining 12 trapped under the rubble.

Twenty people have been injured in the landslide and one killed, The Hindu reported on Thursday. Around noon on Friday, September 19, the Chamoli police also announced in a social media post that a woman’s body had been recovered from the debris.

Rescue efforts are ongoing in Nandanagar.

According to a report by Down To Earth, the India Meteorological Department said that the region experienced 70 mm rainfall in 24 hours on September 17-18. In a press release on September 18, the IMD noted that between September 11-17, Uttarakhand had witnessed an 89% excess of rainfall. In another press release the next day, the IMD said that light to moderate rains or thunderstorms could occur at some places, with isolated heavy rainfall likely over Uttarakhand.

At least 30 houses were destroyed or severely damaged across four villages — Kuntari Lagafali, Senti Lagafali, Dhurma, and Fali Lagafali — in the Nandanagar block following the landslides on September 18, per a report by the National Herald.

Intense rains in Dehradun

The state has witnessed huge losses, including several deaths, due to flash floods and landslides triggered by intense rains over the past few days. Per The Hindu, at least 13 people died and 16 had gone missing in Dehradun and surrounding areas in Uttarakhand on Tuesday (September 16).

On September 16, cloudbursts and heavy rains left six people dead, seven missing and more than 600 people stranded in different locations in other parts of the state, PTI reported. Uttarakhand's State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) had said that the search for missing people was ongoing and that the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and fire brigade personnel had brought most of the stranded people to safety.

Deaths have occurred in the state in August as well, due to intense rains and ensuing flash floods and landslides. On August 29, PTI reported that at least four people were killed and three had gone missing across various districts in the state. Landslides had left about 30-40 families buried under mounds of rubble and damaged houses, officials said.

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