At least 284 people have been rescued , but several still remain trapped after incessant rainfall followed by landslide wreak havoc across Uttarakhand, a senior officer said on Sunday.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) conducted 36 rescue operations and saved people from 42 different locations, subsequently moving them to safe places.
SDRF commandant Manikant Mishra told Indian media that Balwakot-Dharchula road near the border area in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district had to be blocked following a landslide.
While Yamunotri Highway number 123 was blocked on Saturday due to falling debris near Chami village in Garhwal District, dozens of vehicles were left stuck on both sides of the road, local officials said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the state of Himachal Pradesh as well as several other districts of Uttarakhand including the Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, and Pauri districts where very heavy to extremely heavy rain is likely to occur on 17th and 18th July.
Over the past two weeks, Northern India, including Delhi union territory and the Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand states, has been witnessing heavy downpours and flooding that has led to over 145 deaths, with many more having gone missing, in addition to extensive damage to infrastructure reported in the area.
In Delhi, normal life has been disrupted due to the Yamuna River overflowing.
According to the latest official data from Uttarakhand, there are currently over 223 village roads blocked, along with the closure of six state roads, eight district roads, and two border roads due to landslides and falling debris. Nine bridges have been damaged in the Haridwar area.