At least five persons were swept away in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district on Tuesday after heavy overnight rainfall triggered widespread flooding and landslides, The Indian Express reported.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath said that several residents of his state were swept away in the Tons river in Dehradun. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader did not mention the number of lives lost in the incident.

“Instructions have been given to the officials to provide financial assistance of Rs 2-2 lakh to the families of the residents of Uttar Pradesh who lost their lives in this incident and to ensure that each mortal remains is respectfully transported back home,” Adityanath said on social media.

The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert early on Tuesday for Dehradun, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides in parts of the state.

Rescue operations were being carried out in Dehradun by teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and Public Works Department.

The State Disaster Response Force stated that it had rescued more than 200 persons, including students from the Shri Dev Bhoomi Institute.

In the Karligad area of Sahastradhara, several shops were washed away, and a portion of the Maldevta bridge collapsed, disrupting traffic on the Mussorie-Dehradun road, The Indian Express reported.

A section of a bridge in Premnagar on the Dehradun-Paonta National Highway also collapsed.

Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal issued a circular, warning residents and tourists of the increased risk of landslides and flash floods and advising against travel to Mussoorie until roads are cleared, The Indian Express reported.

Schools in Dehradun were closed for the day in view of the prevailing conditions.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the affected areas of Dehradun district.

“In this dire situation of disaster, relief and rescue operations are being conducted at a war footing,” he said in a social media post. “We are committed to the safety of every affected family.”

Three killed in Himachal Pradesh

Three persons of a family were killed in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district after heavy overnight rainfall triggered a landslide on Monday, PTI reported.

The incident took place in the Nehri area of the Sundernagar subdivision in the district. Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan told the news agency that two persons were rescued from the site.

Heavy rainfall also led to flooding in the Son and Bharand drains in the district’s Dharampur area.

In a post on social media, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that “two dozen HRTC [Himachal Road Transport Corporation] buses and the bus stand complex” had been severely damaged due to the weather.

“The Dharmpur depot is completely in a state of ruin, with the corporation's pump house, workshop shed, and shops also damaged,” Agnihotri said. “All corporation employees are safe. Officials are reaching the incident site to assess the situation, and the extent of the damage is being evaluated.”

In Shimla, a landslide near Himland buried several vehicles and blocked the main circular road, PTI reported.

The State Emergency Operation Centre said that 650 roads, including three national highways, remain blocked, while over 1,200 power transformers and 160 water supply schemes have been hit, the Hindustan Times reported.

Himachal Pradesh has witnessed heavy rains over the past few weeks.

More than 400 persons have died in the state since June this year, NDTV reported. The State Disaster Management Authority has said that 229 of these deaths occurred in rain-related incidents and 175 in road accidents.