Uttarakhand: Holiday declared in govt, private schools in Chamoli for Tuesday

Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadoriya has declared holiday in all government and private schools and Anganwadi in the district for tomorrow, in view of India Meteorological Department's forecast of rainfall in the region.

Earlier today, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat directed the administration to speed up the rescue and relief operations in Chamoli, which has been majorly affected due to incessant rains.

Rawat expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased who lost their lives due to heavy rains in Chamoli Ghat. He also directed the administration to provide financial help to the affected people in the district, at the soonest.

Six people were killed following a cloudburst in Chamoli's Ghat area, Uttarakhand's State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said.

According to the officials, three deaths were reported from Lakhee village, while two persons lost their lives in Banjbagar village. Another death was reported from Auli village, they said, adding that several houses were washed away following the cloudburst.

The state has been receiving heavy rainfall in the past few days, causing several landslides and the rivers to swell.

Predicting no relief, the India Meteorological Department has also forecasted widespread and heavy rainfall in the state for the next three days.

( With inputs from ANI )