Monsoon woes gripped several parts of north India yesterday as heavy rains wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, leaving over 60 people dead and hundreds stranded, while several parts in Haryana were flooded after water level of the Yamuna rose alarmingly.

Flashfloods in the Ganga and its tributaries triggered by incessant rains for over 48 hours left a trail of death and devastation across Uttarakhand killing 37 people, injuring 34 and damaging 164 buildings.

Seven people went missing and five vehicles including a chopper were swept away in the heavy showers which are still continuing at a number of places across the state, Disaster Management authorities in Dehradun said. IG (Law and order) R K Vishkarma said nearly 45 people were stranded due to the flash floods and were airlifted from Sarsava airbase to safer places by Air Force helicopters.

Himachal Chief Minister Veer Bhadra Singh was left stranded, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna cancelled his foreign tour and a two-day Uttarakhand visit of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has been called off in view of the natural disasters which have wreaked havoc. The chief minister has cancelled all sanctioned leave of the officers across the state and has assigned the Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya and Agriculture Minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat to tour the state and monitor the situation.

According to Dr Piyush Rautela, Director, Disaster Management Minimisation Centre (DMMC), 31 people have lost their lives across the state while about 57,000 are stranded and 7 reported as missing.

The official said that thousands of pilgrims and tourists have been stranded in Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib due to landslides forcing the government to suspend the Char Dham Yatra and Kailash Mansarover Yatra.

Maximum loss has been suffered in Uttarakashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts. Large Scale destruction has been reported in Joshimath where many have been feared killed and several buildings, including 10 hotels have been washed away. A group of about 40 foreign and Indian people have been reported as missing on the Ghatsoli-Badrinath trekking route near Joshimath.

Meanwhile, 10 people lost their lives in the landslide in Kannaur district of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday. According to the sources from HP, about 1,500 people are still stranded in the area including the Chief Minister Veer Bhadra Singh, who was on his campaign trail in the area. the Army and the ITBP have been pressed into service to rescue the stranded people.

About 25 foreigners and a Doordarshan team were also stranded in Kinnaur district. The disaster management cell of the Army has been informed and it has already started preparations for launching the rescue operations in coordination with IAF and Army.

Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna who took information from district magistrates on the extent of damage caused by the flashfloods through video conferencing expressed grief at the loss of lives in the calamity describing it as “huge”.

“Massive destruction has been recorded across the state due to which over 450 roads and several bridges have been washed away disrupting routes and leaving the people stranded,” said Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna adding that the services of private helicopters have also been taken to meet the crises and rescue people.

"As soon as the rain stops we would start rescuing the people taking help of these helicopters,” said the CM adding that the government is trying to provide food and other essential things to the rain-hit people.

Besides, the Union government has also made available 10 helicopters at the Air Base of Sarsawa and sent teams of NDRF after the CM had apprised the Prime Minister with the situation in the state seeking immediate help.

“The government is keeping a close vigil on the situation and the chief secretary has been given necessary directions,” said Disaster Minister Yashal Arya adding that the ITBP and BRO have been asked to ensure the clearance of disrupted routes and to assist in rescuing the stranded people.