Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh walloped by rain; 50 dead, thousands stranded

In Uttarakhand, nearly 26 people have died and over 50 are missing after record downpours and floods washed away buildings and roads.

More than a dozen people died in the state's Rudraprayag district alone, while another 50 people were missing, said Amit Negi, an official in Uttarakhand.

Vehicles were seen being washed away; a landslide buried a bus, killing three people in Almora district. (Pics)

More than 20,000 pilgrims are stranded along a mountain pass leading to the religious site of Kedarnath. Air Force sent in helicopters to help with evacuation after roads to the pilgrimage spot were blocked by landslides.

Army and paramilitary troops were leading efforts to rescue the pilgrims and scores of people from the rooftops of their flooded homes. The state government was readying food parcels and drinking water pouches to be air dropped to villages cut off after roads were washed away.

The Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in places like Haridwar. "The situation is very grim. The meteorological office has predicted that the rain will continue for another three days at least," said government official Amit Chandola.

In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, 10 people were killed in landslides and nearly 1,000 tourists are stranded in the Sangla Valley. With roads blocked, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has been stuck in Sangla since Sunday night. (Read)

In Haryana, the water level in the Yamuna rose suddenly, leaving 22 people dead and 1,000 stranded.

Surprise showers struck the capital New Delhi on Sunday, flooding the arrival halls in the international and domestic airports. Today, large traffic jams were reported in the capital. Water-logging,too, was reported in various parts of the city. (Read)

Showers in Mumbai were lighter than forecast; the city's municipal corporation had warned people not to leave home unless absolutely necessary after heavy rain was predicted for the next two days. (Read)