Cloudburst in Uttarakhand, army fishes out 17 dead from river

Dehradun : An Indian Army rescue team Friday recovered 17 bodies from the Mandakini river in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district after a cloudburst in the area, officials said.

The bodies are of residents of two villages – Chuni and Mangoli, north of Okhimath – in the district, washed away after the cloudburst late Thursday, Brig. Umamaheshwar of the army’s central command told IANS.

Army officials fear that more than 40 people were washed away in the sudden deluge.

The army, sources said, began the rescue operations immediately after the natural calamity was reported. “We did not wait for the formal approvals and moved out on humanitarian grounds owing to the magnitude of the loss of property and life,” said an army officer.

Four rescue teams and a medical team had been pressed into service and 17 bodies were recovered from the swollen Mandakini and the nearby rivulets which were also in spate.

Officials said Central Command chief, Lt. Gen. Anil Chait, was monitoring the rescue efforts and had asked his soldiers to coordinate with the civil administration.