Heavy rain wreaks havoc on highways in Uttarakhand, cars wash away: Watch video

Heavy overnight rains have wreaked havoc on Uttarakhand's Rishikesh-Gangotri and Rishikesh-Badrinath national highways. The damage has resulted in the suspension of traffic over the stretch, also the Rishikesh-Gangotri highway (NH-94) has been closed for the daily traffic from Narendra Nagar to Chamba. Also, the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway (NH-58) has been temporarily closed from Tapovan to Maletha, Tehri District Magistrate Eva Ashish Shrivastava said.

The official added that the traffic will remain temporarily closed until the highway repair work is fully completed.

This bridge on the #Dehradun - #Rishikesh highway just ahead of airport broke into two while traffic was moving. Rescue teams have been rushed.#uttarakhand #disaster #rain pic.twitter.com/ysCDy1qgCX

— Anupam Trivedi (@AnupamTrivedi26) August 27, 2021

A significant portion of the NH-94 caved in near Fakot in Tehri district due to the heavy overnight rain. Also, the landslide debris falling from the hills blocked the road on several occasions. Cracks on the highway have also appeared on certain stretches leading to fears about further damage.

The NH-94 highway has been blocked by huge boulders and rocks on some stretches including Bagad Dhar and Hindolakhal. The DM added that a major portion of the highway around the Bemunda and Soni villages near Fakot has washed away. Also, the Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway has been blocked on some points due to landslide debris.

Heavy overnight rain has also damaged Dehradun's Sahastradhara-Maldevta road.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma Kau visited the area on Friday morning to assess the damage. Dhami has asked District Magistrate R Rajesh Kumar to ensure repair of the road at the earliest.

(With Agency Inputs)

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