As many as 51 tourists from Maharashtra stranded in Uttarakhand following heavy rainfall and a cloudburst in Uttarkashi are safe, state officials confirmed on Wednesday.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, 11 of the stranded tourists are from Nanded district, while the remaining 40 belong to other Maharashtra districts.
“The Maharashtra government is ready to provide necessary assistance to the tourists stranded in Uttarakhand and is in constant touch with them. The state government is coordinating with the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Centre and Uttarkashi District Disaster Centre, and efforts are being made through Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi to move the tourists to a safe location. Instructions have also been issued to district administrations in Maharashtra, and the situation is being continuously monitored,” the State Emergency Operations Centre said in a statement.
Relatives of the stranded tourists have been requested to contact the following numbers for assistance:
State Emergency Operations Centre, Maharashtra: 9321587143 / 022-22027990 / 022-22794229
State Emergency Operations Centre, Uttarakhand: 0135-2710334 / 821
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) working president and MP Supriya Sule urged Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide urgent assistance to 24 citizens from Manchar in Pune district who are also stranded.
In a post on X, Sule said, “Around 24 citizens from Manchar, Pune, Maharashtra, are stranded in Uttarakhand due to the recent cloudburst. Their families are extremely distressed as there has been no contact with them for the past 24 hours. Requesting Hon @pushkardhami ji and @ukcmo to kindly intervene and help rescue them at the earliest.”
She also shared the names and phone numbers of 17 of the stranded individuals.
According to the Uttarakhand government, teams from the Army, ITBP, and NDRF are carrying out relief and rescue operations in Dharali, Uttarkashi. The Army is using drones to assess the damage and locate trapped individuals for timely evacuation.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the cloudburst-hit Uttarkashi region on Wednesday and met families affected by the devastating mudslide triggered by flash floods. After inspecting Dharali village, Dhami said, “Due to bad weather, road connectivity to several areas has been cut off and bridges have been damaged. This is making it difficult to reach affected people quickly. However, rescue and relief efforts are underway.”
He further informed that 10 Deputy Superintendents of Police, three Superintendents of Police, and 160 other police officials are actively involved in the rescue operations.
“The Disaster Operations Station in Dehradun is functioning round-the-clock to provide all possible assistance,” he added.
(IANS)