Dehradun hit by sudden cloudburst, floods and landslides, two missing

A sudden cloudburst late Monday night and the resulting heavy rain battered the outskirts of Dehradun and continued into Tuesday morning, triggering flash floods and landslides that washed away houses, roads, cars and shops, submerged the historic Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple and left at least two people missing, officials said. The downpour caused the Tamsa River and a nearby rivulet to overflow, collapsed a bridge and flooded low-lying parts of the city, including the IT Park and Tapovan, authorities and local residents said.

Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the state disaster response force and public works crews were deployed on the scene, using bulldozers and specialized equipment to clear debris and search for the missing. District Magistrate Savin Bansal and Sub Divisional Magistrate Kumkum Joshi were overseeing operations on the ground and directed teams to expedite search-and-rescue efforts, officials said. Between 300 and 400 people had been moved to safer locations, a disaster management official said.

Witnesses described rapid rises in water levels in the predawn hours. Temple priest Acharya Bipin Joshi said the river began flowing heavily from...