7 labourers dead, 3 injured, 1 missing in U'khand landslide

Dehradun: At least seven labourers were killed, three others injured while another is missing in a landslide near the construction site of Char Dham all-weather road in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district Friday, police said.

The incident took place in Ukhimath area near Banswada on the Rishikesh-Kedarnath national highway at around 12 pm, they said.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said the incident took place during the construction of a retaining wall.

A total of 23 labourers were at the site at the time of the incident, of them 11 got buried under the debris and 12 escaped unhurt, the DM said.

Seven bodies have been pulled out of the debris and efforts are on to trace the missing labourer, he said.

Three injured labourers were also pulled out of the debris, he said, adding that two of them were critical and sent to AIIMS Rishikesh by air.

Senior officials rushed to the spot and rescue and relief operation is underway, he said.

The DM has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

Jakholi SDM has been asked to submit the probe report within 10 days, the DM said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat condoled the loss of lives in the landslide.

State Congress president Pritam Singh demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and compensation for the victims' families.

He alleged that the central government has gone on a construction spree in the name of all-weather road, disturbing natural ecosystems which, in turn, has made the area more prone to landslides.