Over 200 Tourists Stranded After Bridge Collapses In Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag Due to Heavy Rains

A portion of a pedestrian bridge in Rudraprayag's Bantoli collapsed due to heavy rains and officials said as many as 52 people have been rescued so far.

Dehradun: Around 200 tourists, who were on their way to the Kedarnath pilgrimage, were stranded after a portion of a pedestrian bridge in Rudraprayag’s Bantoli collapsed. Visuals shared on social media showed the broken bridge while a rescue operation was underway by local authorities.

Officials told news agency ANI that as many as 52 people have been rescued so far. The State Disaster Response Force said the bridge in Goundar village was washed away leaving several people stranded.

Bridge Collapses in Rudraprayag: Watch Video

VIDEO | Officials carry out rescue operations to save people stranded due to bridge collapse in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. pic.twitter.com/160invgYWw

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2023

The SDRF rescue team reached the spot immediately and found that people on the other side of the bridge were stranded. However, the rescue operation could not kick off immediately due to the high-water level of the river.

“It was not possible to cross the river due to the high water level of the river. As per the instructions of the Commandant, the team remained at the spot,” an official was quoted as saying by ANI.

“The SDRF team resumed the rescue operation and rescued 52 people trapped there and shifted them to a safer place,” he added.

House Collapses In Joshimath

In another incident, a house was collapsed near subsidence-hit Joshimath in Chamoli district in which one person died. According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the incident was reported in Helang village on the Badrinath highway between Pipalkoti and Joshimath on Tuesday late evening.

Kotwali Joshimath informed the SDRF that a two-storey house built near a crusher unit on the banks of the Alaknanda River had collapsed, with some locals feared trapped under the debris, officials said.

The SDRF team reached the spot to find four people buried under the debris of the collapsed house.

Subsequently, the SDRF team rescued 3 people and rushed them to a nearby hospital while another died on the spot.

The victim’s mortal remains were recovered from under the debris and handed over to the district police, officials said.

According to the SDRF, seven labourers were present in the house when the incident took place.

“Seven labourers were present in the house when the incident took place. Three of them were rescued and admitted to a hospital,” an official said.

According to official estimates, 52 people died due to rain-related incidents in the state this monsoon season while another 37 sustained injuries.

SDRF, NDRF Personnel Deployed in Affected Areas

On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, SDRF and NDRF personnel were deployed in places badly affected by rain-related incidents.

Heavy rains in Uttarakhand this monsoon have triggered landslides and flash floods in several places.

Badrinath National Highway has been blocked in several areas of the Chamoli district, as a result of heavy rainfall in the state, officials said on Tuesday.

According to Chamoli Police, the highway was blocked at Pipalkoti, Gadora, Navodaya Vidyalaya Pipalkoti, Gulabkoti, Pagalnala and Vishnuprayag areas of the Chamoli district.