This Article is From Jun 17, 2013

Rain plays havoc in North India, thousands stranded

New Delhi: The monsoon has struck India early and it's already creating mayhem across the country. The southwest monsoon has so far covered Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana with rains lashing many parts in the region, leading to a dip in temperature.

Here are the 10 developments in the story:

  1. The most devastating impact of the torrential rains has been felt in Uttarakhand where there have been landslides and scores of houses have collapsed. The rains, which began Saturday night, have continued for the past two days and the Met department has predicted more thunder showers. Due to the poor weather conditions, the Char Dham Yatra has been suspended.

  2. The worst affected districts in Uttarakhand are Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Gaurikund and Kedarnath. Reports say 25 people have been killed and more than 50 others are missing. In Kedarnath, one of the four Hindu pilgrim spots (Char Dham) in Uttarakhand, 24,000 pilgrims are stranded because of landslides. (Read) Authorities have ordered 10 helicopters to rescue those stranded, but due to unfavourable weather condition, those choppers won't be able to land at the affected site.

  3. The annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has been suspended today in view of heavy rains and landslides in Uttarakhand. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that the situation appears serious as communication links are broken. A team of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF is on its way to Rudraprayag. "The state is facing a crisis. Nature has caused this devastation. I have just reached Dehradun, we are evaluating the situation," said Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

  4. In Himachal Pradesh, incessant rainfall triggered massive landslides in the Sangla Valley and the area remains cut-off since yesterday. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and over 1,500 tourists are stuck after the landslides blocked the road leading to the valley in Kinnaur district. (Read) A helicopter was sent for the Chief Minister but it had to return due to bad weather.

  5. National capital Delhi has been hit by the monsoon two weeks ahead of schedule. The area near the airport received unprecedented rain - 117.8 mm in four and a half hours - the Met department said.

  6. The Indira Gandhi International or IGI Airport in Delhi, two days after it was voted the world's second best airport, was flooded because of heavy rains. Passengers posted photos of themselves on Twitter wading through knee-deep water. Services at the domestic arrival section were severely impeded; several conveyor belts used for baggage were out of service. (Read)

  7. There was, however, relief for Mumbai today, which witnessed incessant rainfall the whole last week. There were lighter showers in the city today. (Read) But the Met department has predicted more rainfall and warned the residents to stay home as much as possible. Fishermen have been warned against venturing into the Arabian Sea.

  8. On Sunday, local trains were affected in Mumbai. The Central Railway and Harbour Line services were suspended for nearly four hours due to flooding on railway tracks.

  9. In Haryana's Yamunanagar, 52 people, including 15 children, were stranded on a tract of land on Sunday due to floods triggered by heavy rain. They were rescued this morning. A high alert has been sounded in the neighbouring districts of Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat.

  10. Punjab too has been experiencing heavy rainfall, though there have been no reports of any devastation. The Met department has predicted more rainfall in the state during the next two days.



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