India, Aug. 31 -- The water level in an artificial lake formed on the Yamuna river on Sunday rose sharply and flowed over the motor bridge on the Yamunotri Highway in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, just two days after it had receded to three feet below the bridge, officials said, adding that the motor bridge is a key link to Yamunotri Dham.

Heavy rain had triggered landslides in Syanachatti on August 21, with boulders tumbling into the village from the hills, cutting off the Yamuna and creating an artificial lake that inundated large swathes of the hamlet.

Officials said that continuous rainfall over the past week has deposited silt beneath the motor bridge, pushing the water level in the artificial lake above the bridge around 2 pm...