Dehradun Man Climbs Electric Pole To Escape Swelling River While Out For Bathroom Break | Video

A man in Thakurpur, in Uttarakhand’s Premnagar, had gone to the river for a quick bathroom break when rising waters suddenly trapped him. In a desperate bid to save his life, he climbed an electric pole and waited for help. According to a report by News18 Hindi, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) was able to evacuate him.

The video of the incident went viral as Uttarakhand reels from heavy rains, floods and landslides.

Two people were killed, five rescued alive and six feared trapped under debris as landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain flattened more than 40 houses in four villages of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday.

Four people were rescued alive in Kuntari Lagaphali and one in Dhurma village, the State Emergency Operation

Centre (SEOC) in Dehradun said.

Twelve people were injured, including the ones rescued alive, of whom those with serious injuries were airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh, officials said while speaking to news agency PTI.

The video of the incident was also shared by weather and flood researcher and technology professional Naveen Reddy (@navin_ankampali) on X. He cited a person named Kapil as the source for the now viral video.

A man is stranded on an electric pole in the flooded Tons River near Sudhowala, Dehradun. Rescue operations are currently underway.

Tons River is the largest tributary of the Yamuna River. Origins from the Bandarpunch Mountain/glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas, Joins the Yamuna… pic.twitter.com/V6n0K5IZGc

— Naveen Reddy (@navin_ankampali) September 16, 2025

Reddy in the caption accompanying the tweet said that the swollen river was the Tons river. The Tons River, the largest tributary of the Yamuna, originates from the Bandarpunch glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas and joins the Yamuna near Kalsi in Dehradun district, he explains.

Four villages of Chamoli were hit by Thursday morning landslides and flooding.

Kuntari Lagaphali, Kuntari Lagasarpani, Sera and Dhurma were the affected villages, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters after reviewing the situation.

Nearly 45 houses and 15 cowsheds were damaged due to landslides and flooding in these villages, affecting more than 200 people.

The landslides hit two days after heavy rain and cloudbursts in Dehradun and nearby areas breached several roads, washed away bridges and damaged houses, killing 21 people and leaving 17 missing.