This Article is From Aug 17, 2012

Four die in landslides in Uttarakhand, Gangotri-Rishikesh highway blocked

Dehra Dun: Four persons were killed and two others injured following heavy landslides in the Karanprayag area of Chamoli district on Friday.

The four persons were travelling in a jeep when it was buried under the landslides in the area, District Magistrate SA Murugeshan told PTI over telephone.

A child who was also inside the vehicle escaped miraculously, Mr Murugeshan said.

The landslides occurred due to heavy overnight rains in the area.

Meanwhile, the Gangotri-Rishikesh highway was again blocked due to landslides some places, officials here said.

As the landslides were continuing, villagers started running looking for cover amid reports that a cloudburst had also occurred.

Later, a group of people showed an act of courage by diverting the flow of a rivulet that was threatening to inundate some villages.

"As the direction of the rivulet has been changed, the threat being posed by some villages has now been averted," said a police official.

Rains continued to lash several parts of the hill state during the past 24 hours even as the administration was keeping a close watch on the situation in Uttarkashi district where 28 people were killed in a cloudburst and floods on August 4.

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