Uttarakhand rains: 5 killed in landslide in Rudraprayag, Dhami visits rain-hit Kotwar
Dehradun (PTI): Five people, including three pilgrims from Gujarat, died after being buried under the debris of a landslide on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district as the MeT department on Friday warned of heavy rains in six districts of Uttarakhand for the next few days.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami undertook a ground inspection of the rain-hit Kotdwar area where a man had gone missing in a landslide a couple of days ago and several bridges were damaged, cutting off a large population from the rest of the state.
Assembly Speaker and local MLA Ritu Khanduri was also present with Dhami doing his ground inspection.
Dhami directed Pauri District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan to work on the repair of the damaged bridge in Gadighati. He also inspected the alternative bridge over Malan River connecting Kotdwar and Bhabar.
Five persons travelling in a car were buried under the debris of a landslide at Tarsali in Phata area on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district Thursday night but their bodies were recovered on Friday as there was a let-up in incessant rains.
The dead included three devotees from Gujarat and one from Haridwar. Efforts were on to identify the fifth victim, police said.
Talking to reporters, Dhami said the first endeavour of the government was to restore normalcy in the state which was disrupted by the monsoon rains and to provide quick aid and relief to the people affected by the calamity.
After this, the damage caused by the disaster in various areas would be assessed and the deficiencies in the arrangements would be rectified, he said.
The Meteorological Department has issued an "orange" alert for heavy rain in six districts of the state for Friday and a "red" alert for the next three days.
"Red and orange alerts have been issued by the Meteorological Department in many districts of the state. All the residents and tourists are requested to avoid unnecessary travel," Dhami said in a tweet.
Dhami said he has instructed the district administration and SDRF to remain in alert mode for 24 hours and he is also monitoring every situation by establishing contact with the concerned authorities.
Dehradun Meteorological Center has issued an "orange" alert for Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts for Friday and a "red" alert from August 12 to 14.
The centre has asked the administration to take adequate precautions while issuing warnings.
Normal life has been badly affected in the state due to incessant rains. Due to excessive rains this year, natural calamities like landslides, floods and cloudbursts have caused huge loss of life and property in the state.
According to information received from the State Emergency Operation Center, 58 people have lost their lives and 37 people have been injured so far in various incidents during this monsoon while 19 others are missing.
In addition, 1,167 houses were damaged, including 33 which were completely damaged, and a large amount of agricultural land was also washed away.
Roads and bridges have also suffered a lot due to the rains in the state.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
