Dehradun floods: Death toll mounts to 20, 13 missing, says district administration

Dehradun floods

The death toll in the Dehradun district has reached 20, with 13 people still missing, following a rain devastation earlier this week, according to the Dehradun district administration. Officials noted that unidentified bodies found may not be directly related to the disaster, hence they are not included in the official count, The Times of India reported.

Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority said, "Four unidentified bodies had been recovered till Thursday afternoon". The Dehradun district administration has ordered a high-level probe into resorts in the Maldevta in the recent years.

Officials were quoted by TOI as saying that district magistrate Savin Bansal recommended a probe into constructions along the river bank. An official pointed out "that in one case, unauthorised retaining wall built by a resort had diverted water from Song to cause major damage to villages."

"Action will be taken against owners who have been identified and any dept found to be in collusion with them," official was quoted by TOI as saying. Meanwhile, search operations continued in all the disaster-hit areas Thursday.

A search operation involving a dog squad and locals in Majhada was attempting to find three people who were missing and feared buried under rubble. "So far, there has been no success. Even though it didn't rain as heavily last night, we were worried debris might pour in. No search op took place till late morning while it was still raining. It resumed later in day," Rakesh Singh, Karligad village head, was quoted by TOI as saying.