42-year-old killed in landslide at Uttarakhand's Chamoli district

A 42yearold man has been killed while 20 others have sustained injuries in landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain in four villages of Uttarakhandrsquos Chamoli district on Thursday news agency PTI reportedAlso 11 are feared trapped under debris and more than 30 houses have been flattened in the disasterstruck districtThe body of the victim Narendra Singh was recovered from the debris while three people mdash two women and a child mdash were rescued alive in Kuntari Lagaphali village PTI reported quoting the State Emergency Operation Centre SEOC in DehradunEleven people have been reported missing mdash seven from Kuntari Lagaphali and two each from Kuntari Lagasarpani and Dhurma mdash the SEOC added Earlier Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had told reporters in Dehradun that 14 people were missing following the landslidesAll the four affected villages fall under the Nandanagar area around 260 km from Dehradun and 50 km from the Chamoli district headquarters at GopeshwarNandanagar is already reeling from land subsidence reported PTIldquoThe disaster struck Kuntari Lagaphali Kuntari Lagasarpani Sera and Dhurmardquo Dhami said after reviewing the situation ldquoThirtythree houses several shops and cowsheds were destroyed by the debris in four villages mdash Kuntari Lagaphali Kuntari Lagasarpani Sera and Dhurma mdash following heavy rain Fourteen people are missing and around 20 have been injuredrdquo he addedMore than 200 people have been affected in the rainrelated incidents he addedAround 150 to 200 villagers in Kuntari Lagaphali have been moved to safer locations the SEOC said adding that searchandrescue operations are underway by the National Disaster Response Force NDRF State Disaster Response Force SDRF IndoTibetan Border Police ITBP police and fire brigade personnel under the supervision of the district magistrate and superintendent of policeThose seriously injured including a child with head injuries are being airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS in Rishikesh Dhami saidThe chief minister took stock of the situation in Nandanagar through videoconferencing with Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari and asked him to accelerate relief and rescue operations in the affected areasHe also directed officials to ensure the immediate restoration of roads drinking water supply electricity and network connectivity ldquoAdequate arrangements should be made for shelter food clean drinking water and other essential amenities for the disasterhit peoplerdquo Dhami said ldquoDoctors and medicines should be made available in the affected areas to ensure prompt medical assistancerdquoIn the Mokh valley area heavy rain triggered flooding in the Moksha river causing erosion from Dhurma to Sera and damaging dozens of buildings including at least six houses officials saidTiwari said that at least eight people including four members of a family are missing in Kuntari Lagaphali where the landslide hit about halfadozen houses At least two people are missing in Dhurma where the raging waters of the Moksha river have damaged multiple buildings the DM addedThe access road to Nandanagar has been blocked by debris Officials said the details of all those missing are awaited and they may be trapped under the rubble of damaged buildingsA resident of Kuntari Lagaphali and vicepresident of the district branch of the Indian Red Cross Nandan Singh who is involved in relief and rescue operations said the swampy terrain is hampering efforts ldquoTorrents of mud and boulders rolled down from the hills at three locations in Kuntari Lagaphali destroying everything on their wayrdquo he saidldquoWhen the landslide hit the houses some people inside managed to escape but sustained injuriesrdquo Singh addedLand subsidence had affected parts of Nandanagar in August with cracks appearing in the walls of many houses Residents were shifted to safer locationsThe landslides occurred two days after heavy rain and cloudbursts in Dehradun and nearby areas breached several roads washed away bridges and damaged houses killing 21 people and leaving 17 missingWith PTI inputs