Panic gripped Tungana and Develeshwar Tok villages following a cloudburst in the Bhilangana block of Tehri Garhwal district today. Though no loss of life was reported, houses and cattle sheds in large numbers were damaged. Officials concerned are assessing the damage.
The incident took place around 9:30 am. It resulted in a blockage of the Kedarnath Yatra route of Uttarkashi-Kotal Gaon-Chamyala. Pilgrims had to wait for several hours until mounds of earth and debris were cleared from the road. Pilgrims said the PWD workmen turned up more than an hour after the road blocked. Further a JCB operator, who reached along with officials concerned, kept on waiting for orders from top officials to begin the work. But when local women began protesting at the site, the workmen started clearing the road.
A buffalo and a bull were buried under the debris but, miraculously, they were rescued by villagers after around one hour. There have been unconfirmed reports that some cattle were swept away due to heavy rainfall.