Several shops and buildings damaged as Cloudburst hits Devprayag in Uttarakhand

A cloudburst hit Devprayag in the Tehri district of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, razing buildings to the ground and damaging several shops.

According to officials, around 12 to 13 shops have been damaged in the cloudburst. "A cloudburst was reported at 5 pm today. Around 12 to 13 shops and several other properties have been damaged. Since most of these shops were closed due to lockdown, No casualties have been reported yet. SDRF teams are on their way to the spot," MS Rawat, SHO - Devprayag, told news agency ANI.

"Water level is on the rise here and we have undertaken a rescue operation," Rawat added.

However, there was no loss of life as people were alert and had moved to safe locations. "No casualties have been reported yet. SDRF teams are on their way to the spot," DGP Ashok Kumar told ANI.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Uttarkhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat to enquire about the situation arising out of cloudburst and assured all assistance from the central government.

Amit Shah, on a telephone call on Tuesday evening, assured Rawat of all possible help from the central government.

This comes months after several people were killed in Uttarakhand's Chamoli after a glacial break triggered a flash flood in the Rishiganga river.