Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 24 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday left from the GTC helipad in Dehradun to visit disaster-affected areas in Chamoli district, where heavy rains and cloudbursts have caused widespread damage.
"Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has left from the GTC helipad in Dehradun to meet the disaster-affected people at the relief camp in Kulsari and to conduct a field inspection of the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the disaster-affected areas in Tharali, Chamoli," read the statement from the CMO.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Dhami will first reach Kulsari, where he will meet people staying in relief camps, and later conduct a field inspection of ongoing rescue and relief operations in the Tharali region of Chamoli.
The visit comes amid intensified relief efforts in the district, where teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local administration are engaged in evacuating stranded residents, distributing relief material, and restoring essential services.
Dhami has earlier directed officials to ensure prompt rehabilitation of affected families and to maintain adequate supply of food, water, and medical aid in relief camps.
Apart from this, six people injured in the cloudburst that struck Tharali of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district late Friday night were airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, on Saturday for advanced treatment, officials said.
A team of doctors at the institute is attending to them.
According to officials, the cloudburst in Toonri Gadera of Tharali tehsil left one person dead and another missing, while several others sustained injuries. Debris from the downpour swept into Tharali market and nearby areas, damaging houses, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate's residence, and burying vehicles and shops.
Rescue teams from NDRF, ITBP and SSB remain deployed in Tharali as the search continues for the missing person.