Mayhem in hills; 2 dead, 6 missing

Heavy rainfall and a cloudburst wreaked havoc Nandanagar in Ghat tehsil of Uttarakhand's Chamoli late on Wednesday night, leaving two dead and at least six missing.

- Biswajeet Banerjee

Rescuers from police, SDRF and NDRF were engaged in round-the-clock operations to trace the missing and provide relief to affected families.

The disaster in Chamoli comes 2 days after a cloudburst struck Dehradun, killing 13 people and causing massive destruction. The back-to-back incidents have heightened concerns about the rising frequency of extreme weather events in the hill state.

According to officials, the worst-hit village in Chamoli is Kuntri Laga Phali where 8 people are reported missing.

About 40 houses and cowsheds were destroyed when heavy debris slid down at 3am. Two women and a child were pulled out from the rubble. In all, 6 people have been missing in Kuntri Laga Phali and Dhurma villages.