Dehradun/Yamunangar/Shimla, June 17
Heavy rains wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, leaving over 55 persons dead and thousands stranded. Several parts in Haryana were flooded after water level in Yamuna rose alarmingly.

At least 15 persons were killed in Uttar Pradesh as flash floods lashed Saharanpur district.

Flashfloods in the Ganga and its tributaries triggered by incessant rains for over 48 hours left a trail of death and destruction in Uttarakhand, especially in the Garhwal region, killing at least 30 persons and injuring 19.

Rudraprayag bore the maximum brunt with at least 15 deaths being reported from the district. Two persons each were killed in Chamoli and Uttarkashi. While 10 persons lost their lives in Dehradun, one person was killed in Tehri. A large number of structures including, hotels, commercial and residential buildings located close to Alaknanda caved in like a pack of cards in Rudraparayag district.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna took stock of the situation from district magistrates through video-conferencing. Rescue operations are going on a war-footing with the help of the ITBP, the BSF and the Army but the bad weather is a hindrance, he said.

The Badrinath highway was closed. Cloudbursts triggered floods and landslides in the higher reaches of the state, especially on the Char Dham route, leaving several pilgrims stranded. Thousands of pilgrims headed for the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath Gangotri Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib were stranded as the routes had to be closed due to landslips at various points, including Pipalmandi, Baraki and Nalupani.

In Himachal, a high alert was sounded and Army assistance sought for rescue operations in the tribal border district of Kinnaur as incessant rains and snow wreaked havoc in the region, killing 10 persons.

Five members of a family were buried in a house collapse at Chowgaon near Tapri. Two persons died when a tree fell on a house at Morang. One person each was killed in Baltrun, Yule and Tapri.

About 20-metre stretch of the National Highway has been washed away into the Sutlej near Ralli Dhank. The Shimla -Pooh highway has been blocked at several places.

Over 700 people, including Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who was campaigning in the area for Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll slated for June 23, were stranded in the Sangla valley and assistance of the Army has been sought for rescue operations and airlifting them, said officials.

Heavy rains paralysed life in Haryana, especially in Yamunanagar district, where hundreds of people were rescued by the Army and the NDRF after Yamuna’s level rose alarmingly, prompting the authorities to sound an alert. As many as 22 motorboats were pressed into service to evacuate people, including children and women. Traffic movement on the NH-73 got disrupted after flooding near Mandoli village. Hundreds of vehicles were seen stranded on the highway. The rail track connecting Ambala and Haridwar suffered damage near Kalanour. As a result, the traffic on the line was stopped. In Karnal, 90 people were evacuated from Shergarh Tapu and Chandrao villages. At least 13 persons stranded at Dabkoli village were also taken to safer grounds.

(With inputs from Neena Sharma in Dehradun, Rakesh Lohumi in Shimla and Manish Sirhindi in Yamunanagar)

*The Haryana Government has sounded an alert in several districts

* Nearly 40 villages along the Yamuna remain marooned

* NDRF and Army teams called in to help in rescue operations. Choppers kept on standby P7