A 25-year-old Bangalorean man has been killed in a rockfall at Dharasu in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, on Monday 30 August 2013. Maneesh Manjunath, of the Tata Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi was returning to the Indian capitol after some days in Gangotri where he was working on a project when he stopped to clear rocks from an earlier landslip that were blocking the road, and was hit by a fresh rockfall, killing him instantly. A second man, Brij Mohan Sharma, 22, remained in the vehicle, which was also hit by the rockfall, and is being treated in hospital in Dehradun. A third man, Jaspal Singh, who was also attempting to clear the original rockfall, was apparently unhurt.
The approximate location of the 30 August 2013 Dharasu Rockfall. Google Maps.
Uttarakhand and other areas of the Himalayas have suffered the heaviest Monsoon rains in eighty years this year, triggering widespread flooding and numerous landslides. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.
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