As unprecedented rainfall battered Uttarakhand, drowning houses and people, precipitating floods and washing away bridges. The official death toll climbed to 40 on Tuesday, with the worst-hit district of Nainital recording at least 18 casualties.
Nainital additional district magistrate Ashok Joshi said the district toll could go up to 27. “We have information of people trapped at multiple locations. Our teams have been sent but operations are difficult in this weather,” he said.
The hill town of Nainital virtually turned into a flooded island, cut off from the rest of the state for the second consecutive day as debris blocked all three routes.
While the Nainital-Bhowali road was blocked on Monday afternoon. The Nainital-Haldwani road and Nainital-Kaladhungi road were also blocked for public use by the evening.
Nearby towns of Bhowali, Mukteshwar and Ramgarh, too, have lost road connectivity.
The lone railway track to Kathgodam station was washed away by the swollen waters of Gaula river on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded as all 12 trains on the route were cancelled.
A dozen national and state highways in the district were also blocked due to landslides.
Naina Devi temple and the iconic Boathouse Club were also wading in water. Officials said even though all floodgates were opened on Monday, the water level has continued to rise.
Low-lying areas in Kumaon Himalayas, too, suffered damage from the rain. A bridge was washed away in Haldwani while an elephant was rescued from being swept away in the strong currents of Gaula.
Stranded Tourists In Nainital Trek Their Way to Safety.
Visuals this morning showed men, women and children being evacuated by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The tourists were seen walking with their belongings on a hillside ravaged by three-day rain that caused rockfalls and landslides, cutting off roads in Nainital.
At least 40 people have been killed in Uttarakhand because of the monster rain that flooded villages and caused houses and buildings to collapse. Of these, 28 deaths were reported in Nainital.
Fifteen NDRF teams helped tourists out of Nainital as the picturesque lake town turned into a nightmare because of the continuous downpour.
Personnel in orange suits were also seen carrying young children.
Electricity, telecom and internet connectivity in Nainital have been badly hit. Ranikhet and Almora remain completely cut off from the plains for the second day.