Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A sudden surge of floodwaters triggered by cloudbursts and intense monsoon rains turned the Tamak drain in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli into a raging torrent, sweeping away a Bailey bridge, a vehicle and a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) driver.
The bridge on the Malari-Niti National Highway connects Jyotirmath to the border area and the collapse snapped road connectivity to around a dozen villages, including Jumma and Niti and cut off the frontier.
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A BRO driver, Pankaj, a resident of Pithoragarh district, was swept away by the powerful current as he was watching the floodwaters when the bridge suddenly collapsed. He remained missing.
A vehicle was also swept away as the floodwaters surged through the drain.
Rescue teams were quickly mobilised, with personnel from the district administration, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) dispatched to the site.
Following the bridge collapse, authorities suspended traffic on nearby roads as well. Officials said administrative teams were assessing the damage, while the BRO began work on alternative arrangements. Traffic is expected to be restored within a day or two, Chamoli District Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi added.
Over the past several years, floods and landslides in the Tamak drain have disrupted the Joshimath-Niti road, while flood debris has repeatedly choked the nearby Dhauli Ganga.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to intensify relief and rescue operations and take precautionary measures in the lower areas following the flooding.
Dhami also directed officials to ensure that supplies of ration, food, medicines and other essential commodities to villages in the surrounding areas are not affected by the bridge collapse.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
