Uttarakhand rains: Death toll rises to 16; Nainital cut off from state

Sixteen people have lost their lives due to the incessant rain, cloudburst and flooding in several parts of Uttarakhand. All exit and entry points are closed as the three roads leading to the hill station of Nainital have been blocked due to a series of landslides. Uttarakhand has been battered by rains since Sunday, leading to floods, landslides and destruction of property.

Meanwhile water from the Naini Lake in Nainital, one of the main tourist attractions in the hilly state, overflowed its banks on Monday evening, flooding the iconic Mall Road that runs parallel to the lake.

Videos emerged from Nainital and other regions showing water gushing down the streets and bridges, train tracks being washed away.

At least 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have already been deployed in the state to conduct rescue operations. Of these, there are two teams in Uttarkashi, and one team each in Dehradun, Chamoli, Almora, Pithoragarh, Haridwar and Gadarpur.

According to the reports, the severe weather events in Uttarakhand have been triggered by two simultaneous active low-pressure systems, one each over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal regions.