2 more bodies recovered; Pithoragarh cloudburst toll 23

Dehradun, Aug 10 (PTI) Two more bodies were recovered
from the debris on Monday, taking the toll in the Pithoragarh
cloudburst that triggered a massive landslide to 23 even as
the administration continued its search operation for another
20 people.

With the recovery of two more bodies, the toll in the
landslide in three villages of Munsyari tehsil of the district
has risen to 23, District Magistrate of Pithoragarh Narayan
Singh Negi said.

The search operation by district police, Indo Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) and SSB are in full swing to find out
another 20 missing people from villages of Lah, Jhakla and
Bedu Mehar that were extensively damaged in the landslides, he
said.

However, chances of survival of those who are still
trapped in the debris are bleak, he added.

Meanwhile, the government has restored the snapped
telecommunication link.

The administration has evacuated five families of
nearby Daasa area to the Government Inter College at Dor in
view of the area's proneness to landslides.

The Pithoragarh district magistrate has constituted a
14-member committee headed by district development officer to
assess the loss by the cloudburst in Munsyari on August 8.

The team would make an assessment of the loss of
residential property, agriculture land and animals and submit
its report in three days.

Meanwhile, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash
Pant on Monday visited the area and met the victims.

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, Rajya Sabha
(Upper House of Indian Parliament) MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Bachi Singh Rawat
had visited the affected areas in last two days. PTI DPT
SDE
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