Several trapped, missing after cloudburst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli, Rudraprayag districts
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Dehradun (PTI): Cloudbursts hit Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts of Uttarakhand early Friday, triggering landslides which left several people injured and missing, officials said.
A house and a cowshed were buried under landslide debris in Mopata village of Chamoli district, trapping a couple, Chamoli's District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said.
Another couple was pulled out of the debris in an injured condition, he said.
Incessant rain and landslides in Basukedaar area of Rudraprayag district have caused heavy damage in more than half a dozen villages, officials said.
In Dungar village of Chenagadh, some people are missing in the landslide debris and floods.
The same situation has been reported in Jaula-Bhadeth village, where some people are reported missing in the floods.
A house has been damaged in Syur village of the same area while a car parked on the road has been swept away by the the debris. There is flood in the ravines on both sides of Badeth, Bagaddhar and Taljamani villages.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in a post on X said, "Sad news has been received about some families being stranded due to debris falling in the wake of cloudbursts in Badeth Dungar under Tehsil Basukedaar area of Rudraprayag district and Dewal area of Chamoli district."
"Relief and rescue work is going on on a war footing by the local administration, I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard, I have spoken to the Disaster Secretary and District Magistrates and given necessary instructions for effective conduct of rescue operations," he said.
"I pray to Baba Kedar for everyone's safety," he said.
Uttarakhand has been hit hard by natural calamities in the monsoon season.
A devastating flashflood in the Kheer Ganga river on August 5 demolished nearly half of Dharali -- the key stopover en route to Gangotri with many hotels and homestays, and neighbouring Harsil, where an Army camp bore the brunt of the flood fury, barely giving time to the victims to run to safety.
A total of 69 people went missing, including nine Army personnel, 25 Nepali nationals, 13 from Bihar, six from Uttar Pradesh, eight from Dharali, five from areas close to Uttarkashi, two from Tehri and one from Rajasthan.
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Dense fog disrupts operations at Delhi airport; 228 flights cancelled, 5 diverted
New Delhi (PTI): Dense fog disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport on Monday, with various airlines cancelling 228 flights and diverting five to nearby airports due to low visibility, an official said.
However, except for Air India, which had in an X post in the morning announced the cancellation of some 40 flights, no other airlines, including crisis-hit IndiGo, shared the numbers of their cancelled or delayed flights.
"As many as 228 flights -- 131 departures and 97 arrivals-- have been cancelled due to low visibility, so far," the airport official said.
In addition to this, five flights have been diverted so far, he said.
Earlier, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), in a statement, said, "Our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals.
"Low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, which is unfortunately beyond our control," IndiGo said in a statement.
As operations are adjusted to prevailing weather conditions, some flights may experience delays, while a few others may be proactively cancelled during the day to prioritise safety and minimise extended waiting at the airport, the airline said in a statement.
IndiGo, however, did not say how many of its flights were cancelled or delayed.
The airline said its teams are "closely monitoring" the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport.
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IndiGo also said it issued advisories to its customers and "proactively" informing them, to minimise inconvenience.
“Poor visibility due to dense fog in Delhi this morning has impacted flight operations for all airlines. We are closely monitoring conditions and will resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so,” Air India said in a post on X in the morning.
It also said that some flights have been cancelled In the interest of safety, and to avoid prolonged uncertainty for the guests, while listing out some 40 arrivals and departures that it had cancelled for the day.
Delhi airport is the country's busiest, handling around 1,300 flight movements daily.
