284 people rescued so far from 42 disaster-affected places in Uttarakhand: SDRF

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 16 (ANI): Amid the devastating rainfall in Uttarakhand, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has rescued over 280 people from 42 affected places across the state so far this month, a senior officer said on Sunday.

“SDRF has been deployed in 42 disaster-affected places in Uttarakhand. SDRF has conducted 36 rescue operations so far this month, in which 284 people have been rescued and shifted to safe places”, said Manikant Mishra SDRF commandant. Notably, heavy rainfall in the state has led to several landslides that have blocked roads and highways, stranding scores of people.

On Sunday itself, Balwakot-Dharchula road in Dharchula near the border area of the Pithoragarh district was blocked following a landslide, a senior official said.

While the Yamunotri Highway number 123 was blocked on Saturday due to falling debris near Chami village in Pauri Tehsil of Garhwal District. As per officials, dozens of vehicles were left stuck on both sides of the road.

The flood rescue operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continues in the flood-affected areas of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Delhi, where torrential rainfall and the release of water from barrages have resulted in unprecedented floods, an official statement said on late Friday evening.

58 NDRF teams have been deployed in flood-affected states for rescue and relief work in coordination with State administrations. 16 teams of the NDRF have been deployed in Delhi, 11 teams in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand each, and 10 teams in Punjab and Haryana.