In Uttarakhand village disconnected due to flash floods, woman with newborn waits for her missing husband
Feb 10, 2021
By Ankur Sharma
Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], February 10 : In Raini village here which is disconnected from the rest of the country, a mother of a newborn is extremely worried. She fears for her husband who went missing since the flash floods hit the area on Sunday.
Raini is among 12 villages which were disconnected from the rest of the country due to flash floods caused by glacier burst and ration is being delivered to residents through helicopters. The bridge connecting these villages was washed away in flood.
Pushpa's husband Yashpal Singh was working in his field when the flood hit the village.
While Pushpa could barely speak with tears running down her eyes, her mother looked worried about the future of her daughter and her three-month-old child.
"He (Yashpal) was very close to the river. Before we could alert him, he just got vanished in the flow of water," she told ANI.
"How will my daughter survive now? She has a small child. Who will take care of them? They are alone. I am worried about the future," she added.
Pushpa's mother said they felt lonely and as no one can reach them. The roads too have been damaged.
According to neighbours, Pushpa got married to Yashpal in November 2019 and had a child about three months back.
Mondadori Devi, who resides next to Pushpa's house, said they limited food stock.
Pushpa and her neighbours didn't have food the day the flood struck and they do not have proper sleep as they fear that flood may come again.
"I was at my home when I noticed the flood. My grandsons started raising an alarm. By the time I could react, it was all hazy. When it was clear again, everything was washed away. We didn't have food that day. He (Yashpal) was in the field when the flood came," Mandodari Devi said.
Thirty-two bodies have been recovered so far from different areas hit by the glacier burst in Chamoli district on Sunday. Officials said 206 people are missing including 25-35 persons stuck inside the Tapovan tunnel.
