Dehradun, July 8
Three members of a family were today killed in a house collapse as a fresh spell of rains stalled relief operations in the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, where the authorities said that the number of people missing has mounted to over 4,700.

Two women and a child belonging to one family were killed when the ceiling of their house collapsed in Vikasnagar area of Dehradun, officials said. The roof of the house caved in under the impact of debris from the hills, killing them on the spot, they said.

Water level in Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi has been constantly on the rise with villages of Tiloth and Joshiyara villages facing the danger of being inundated. People living in houses located along the banks of the river have been asked to move to safer places, officials said.

It had to return from a sortie this morning after failing to drop relief material due to overcast skies and low visibility conditions, NDMA member and in charge of relief operations in the hill state VK Duggal said.

The aircraft was supposed to airdrop relief material in worst-hit Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Rudraprayag districts, including Kedarnath where the process of cremating bodies is being carried out by a team of over 70 experts. — PTI