Haridwar: Lightning strike at Har Ki Pauri triggers wall collapse, damages transformer

INDIA

When reports last came in, local police and Shri Ganga Sabha volunteers had barricaded the area and begun operations to clear out the site.

A wall near Har Ki Pauri collapsed in Haridwar last night   |  Photo Credit: ANI

Haridwar (Uttarakhand): Ongoing heavy rains triggered a wall collapse at the Har Ki Pauri in the holy town of Haridwar on Monday. As per details available, lightning struck near the Brahmakund at Har Ki Pauri following which a transformer caught fire and the wall collapsed.

With the transformer getting damaged in the lightning strike, power supply was also disrupted in the area. Thankfully, no one was present near the incident site when the lightning struck, preventing injuries or deaths in the mishap.

When reports last came in, local police and Shri Ganga Sabha volunteers had barricaded the area and begun operations to clear out the site. Further, pilgrims have been stopped from going towards the Brahmakund for now as a precautionary measure.

The development came a day after at least three persons were killed and six went missing following cloudburst and heavy rains in Munsyari region of the state’s Pithoragarh district.

The incident took place in Madkhot area's Tanga village on Sunday night.

Also on Sunday, a portion of a bridge had collapsed at Madkhot on the Pithoragarh-Munsyari road in view of incessant rainfall in the region.

It was reported that five houses were damaged and livestock was washed away in Munsyari's Chhoribagar village following heavy rainfall through Saturday night.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over Uttarakhand today and tomorrow.

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