Three people were killed and 22 went missing as heavy rain lashed Uttarakhand on Sunday, razing houses to ground and uprooting trees in the state.

Cloudbursts in Mori block of Uttarkashi district late on Saturday night flooded the tributaries of the Yamuna river which wreaked havoc in Arakot, Sanel, Makudi and Tikochi villages, flattening a number of houses.
One woman was killed in Makudi village of the district, while seven went missing as a dozen houses were flattened in the hamlet.

Efforts were made to reach the rain-affected areas by helicopters but it could not be possible due to bad weather with heavy rains lashing the region, State Disaster Managementr Secretary S Murugesan said.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said he has sought the help of the district magistrates of Dehradun and Shimla, the capital of neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, in rescue operations.

Police, ITBP, SDRF and Red Cross teams have been rushed to the rain-affected areas but rescue operations are being hampered by incessant rains, Chauhan said.

Dehradun District Magistrate C Ravishankar has also declared a holiday in schools on Monday in apprehension of heavy showers.Chauhan has asked officials to be on the alert and keep satellites and disaster equipment ready to deal with any emergency.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has also asked officials to evacuate people trapped in Uttarkashi and make relief material available to them.Chardham yatra routes are also blocked by the debris of landslides at various points affecting the yatra partially, the SEOC said.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway was blocked at Lambagad and Tangri, Kedarnath highway at Banswada and Jamu Nursery, Gangotri NH at Harshil, Badeti and Helgugad and Yamunotri highway at Dabarkot, it said.Landslide on Kailash-Mansarovar route has also affected the pilgrimage with devotees being moved to safe places, it added.