ZCZC
BFF-21
INDIA-CLOUDBURST-DEATH
3 dead, 7 missing after cloudbursts hit India’s hilly Uttarakhand state
NEW DELHI, July 20, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – At least three persons died, one injured and nearly seven went missing after incidents of cloudbursts hit two villages of India’s northern hilly state Uttarakhand on Sunday night, confirmed a local official to Xinhua over phone on Monday morning.
Among the dead were three members of a family, including a young girl and her both parents. The death toll is feared to rise, according to the official.
The incidents of cloudbursts were reported from Taga and Gela villages of the state’s Pithoragarh district.
The seven missing persons hail from Gela village. All the dead were from Gela village too, confirmed the official.
“The cloudburst happened last night, amid heavy rains. Teams of the Pithoragarh district administration, police and the state disaster response force have rushed to the spot. These two villages fall in remote and inaccessible areas. Members of the rescue teams have gone there on foot, and can’t be contacted till their return,” said district information officer Girja Joshi while speaking over phone.
A red alert is normally sounded in the hilly state in the monsoon season every year, which begins in July and continues till August-end or September.
Incidents of cloudbursts in India’s hilly states are quite frequent during monsoon season. More than 5,000 people had died in June 2013 when unusually heavy rains coupled with cloudbursts took place in the state.
BSS/XINHUA/SSS/1513 hrs