1 dead, 3 rescued after house collapses in Chamoli, Uttarakhand

A person was found dead after a house collapsed near subsiding Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, officials said on 16 August, Wednesday.

As per the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the incident occurred on 15 August, late evening, in Helang village on the Badrinath highway between Joshimath and Pipalkoti.

Kotwali Joshimath notified the SDRF that a two-storey house built near a crusher unit on the shores of the Alaknanda River had collapsed and some locals were suspected to be trapped under the debris.

The SDRF team reached the affected area to find four people submerged under the debris of the collapsed house. Ultimately, the SDRF team rescued 3 people and rushed them to a nearby hospital while one died on the spot.

The mortal remains of the victim were recovered from under the debris. The remains were then handed over to the district police, according to the officials.

According to the SDRF, seven labourers were in the house when the unfortunate incident took place. An official said, “Seven labourers were present in the house when the incident took place. Three of them were rescued and admitted to a hospital.” They added that searches were underway for any other trapped locals.

According to official estimates, 52 people died due to rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand this monsoon season while another 37 were severely injured. On the orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, SDRF and NDRF teams were posted in areas severely affected by rain-related incidents.