Monsoon havoc: 10 dead, landslides in Uttarakhand, rivers swell in UP, Himachal

Raging monsoon spells chaos across India

• More than 10 people were confirmed dead in rain-related incidents across India on Thursday. Gujarat's Surat district alone has reported 17 rain-related deaths over the past few days as heavy flooding hit the region.

• Torrential rain flooded several parts of Delhi on Thursday, uprooted trees and caused major traffic jams. Some areas received more than 160 mm of rainfall, according to the IMD. A yellow alert remains in place for Friday, with light to moderate rain, thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph expected.

• Uttarakhand is likely to witness extremely heavy rain at isolated places on Friday. The Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers are in spate, prompting authorities to shut schools in Rudraprayag district for the day while officials monitor river levels.

• The Char Dham Yatra was disrupted after a landslide at Nalu Pani in Uttarkashi district blocked the Gangotri Highway, bringing traffic to a standstill. Road-clearing teams have been deployed, and restoration work is underway.

• In Himachal Pradesh, heavy rain threw life out of gear. As of Thursday evening, 75 roads remained blocked, while 29 electricity transformers and five water supply schemes were affected, per the State Disaster Management Authority. Shimla and Sirmaur districts are expected to receive more heavy rain on Friday.

• The IMD issued a red alert for parts of western Uttar Pradesh, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rain on Friday. The wet spell is expected to persist across the state through July 11, with temperatures likely to fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius.

• Following the red rain alert, authorities ordered schools to remain closed on Friday in Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Saharanpur and Moradabad districts as a precautionary measure.

• Officials in Prayagraj have intensified flood preparedness as river levels rose due to continuous rain. District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said some rivers were approaching the danger mark, although those that usually trigger flooding remained below critical levels.

• Surat is limping back to normalcy after 358 mm of rain within 24 hours led to widespread flooding and evacuations. With floodwaters receding, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the affected areas and directed officials to prepare a long-term solution to recurring flooding caused by nearby creeks.

• Search operations also continued in Kerala's Wayanad, where six people were killed in a landslide earlier this week. Rescue teams, assisted by sniffer dogs, continued looking for two missing people, although persistent rain has slowed debris removal.