5 Tourists Killed, Toll Rises To 65; State Pegs Its Losses At Rs 7,000 Cr

U’khand rains: Home Min conducts aerial survey of rain-hit areas

DEHRADUN: Five tourists have died in Kapkot in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon, officials said on Thursday as the death toll in the state battered by the recent rains rose to 65.

The confirmation about the death of tourists stranded near Kapkot’s Sunderdhunga glacier in Bageshwar district came on a day when Union Home minister Amit Shah conducted an aerial survey of the rain damage, pegged by the state government at Rs 7,000 crore. Earlier, the official count of the dead was 60.

Apart from the five dead, one tourist was missing, officials said. Four were rescued.

About 65 tourists had been trapped on the higher reaches of Bageshwar and rescue teams were at work to bring those still remaining there to safety, officials said.

Amit Shah told reporters at the Jollygrant airport here that the alertness of the Central and state government agencies helped contain the damage in Uttarakhand.

Relief and rescue operations continued in the worst-hit Kumaon region amid efforts to restore connectivity and evacuate people from vulnerable areas.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that three days of incessant rains which began Sunday night — have caused damage of Rs 7,000 crore in the state.

Restoring the network of damaged roads and bridges and evacuating people to safety is the priority at the moment, he said. At 28, the Nainital district has reported the maximum number of deaths.

Shah said a heavy rain alert was issued well in advance and led to precautionary steps like halting the Chardham Yatra.

“The damage could have been more if this was not done.