Snowfall, rain lash subsidence-hit Joshimath

Gopeshwar (U'khand): Snowfall and rain lashed subsidence-hit Joshimath on Friday, intensifying the cold and adding to the woes of people living in temporary relief camps.

Rains lashed Joshimath overnight and were followed by a spell of snowfall on Friday morning, officials said.

Apart from Joshimath located at around 6,000 feet, many famous locations in the higher altitudes of Chamoli district, including Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers, also received snowfall, officials said.

The snowfall was continuing when last reports came in.

As many as 849 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks following land subsidence there and 258 families have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, officials said. The dismantling of unsafe hotels and private houses continues amid bad weather, they said.

Rudraprayag district also received snowfall with the famed Kedarnath temple covered with snow.

As a result of snowfall in the mountains, icy winds swept across the plains of Uttarakhand.

Dehradun also woke to an early morning drizzle.