Intertwined In Death: Mother, Sons' Bodies Found Under Chamoli Landslide Debris

In a heart-wrenching discovery during ongoing rescue efforts in Uttarakhand's disaster-stricken Chamoli district, rescuers uncovered the bodies of a mother and her twin sons still embraced together beneath the landslide debris – all three having perished in the catastrophe.

This tragic scene was discovered just one day after the woman's husband, Kunwar Singh, was miraculously rescued alive from the debris on Thursday – approximately 16 hours after heavy rainfall and a cloudburst triggered devastating landslides and debris flows in the Nandanagar locality of the district.

When recovery teams located the body of the 38-year-old mother, they found her 10-year-old sons, Vishal and Vikas, still locked in her protective embrace – a heartbreaking testament to her final moments spent trying to shield her children from the disaster that ultimately claimed their lives.

Wednesday's catastrophe left eight individuals initially reported missing, prompting immediate action from the district administration, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), who launched comprehensive search and rescue operations. The flash floods and landslides caused extensive infrastructural damage and devastated local livelihoods. Authorities have established relief camps for displaced families while intensifying search efforts throughout the affected regions.

By the second day of relief operations, the Public Works Department had successfully constructed a temporary Bailey bridge on the Dehradun-Mussoorie Highway to restore crucial connectivity.

This tragedy occurs just one week after another devastating cloudburst struck Dehradun's Sahastradhara area, claiming at least 13 lives and causing widespread destruction – washing away roads, damaging homes and businesses, and destroying two major bridges. That disaster effectively isolated the state capital from surrounding areas by cutting off multiple transportation routes.

During the earlier catastrophe, the Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Dehradun sustained extensive damage when the Tamsa River, swollen by torrential rainfall and the Sahastradhara cloudburst, flooded the temple grounds. The sacred site was inundated with several feet of sand and debris, submerging the Shivling and causing severe structural damage with deep cracks appearing in the temple walls.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally visited the affected regions in Raipur and Mussoorie Assembly constituencies to assess the situation firsthand and monitor ongoing relief and rescue operations. "Around 35 houses have been damaged due to a cloudburst. Around 20 people are injured, and 14 others are missing. 200 people have been affected by the disaster last night in Chamoli. All rescue teams have reached there. DM and SSP are also on the spot. The injured have been taken to the hospitals. The severely injured will be shifted to AIIMS Rishikesh. NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, and Police are carrying out rescue operations. We are trying to move the people to safe places," the Chief Minister stated.

The Chief Minister further assured that damaged infrastructure, particularly roads, are being repaired on a priority basis, and all relevant agencies across the state's districts have been instructed to maintain high alert throughout September until the official conclusion of the monsoon season.