Agencies
SHIMLA, Mar 3: An avalanche hit a village in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday, obstructing the flow of the Chenab river and triggering an alert in the adjoining areas, officials said. Heavy snow and rainfall in the last two days have triggered more than half-a-dozen avalanches and landslides in Himachal Pradesh, leading to the closure of over 650 roads, including five national highways, they added. No casualty has so far been reported in any of the avalanches, the officials said. The flow of the Chenab was obstructed following an avalanche at the Dara waterfall near Jasrat village in Lahaul and Spiti. The district, located at a high altitude, reported heavy snowfall in the last 24 hours. The residents of the adjoining villages of Jobrang, Rapi, Jasrath, Tarand and Tharot have been advised to stay cautious and inform the nearest police post in case of an emergency, Superintendent of Police (SP), Lahaul and Spiti, Mayank Chaudhary said. Some shops were buried in an avalanche at the Tandi bridge in Lahaul sub-division. Multiple avalanches occurred in Lahaul and Spiti at the Seli nallah in Rashel village, Faldi nallah in Jobrang, Cho Veer Mod in Lohni and Tatha nallah near Udaipur village. An avalanche was also reported from a location near the Karcham helipad in Sangla in Kinnaur district, the officials said. A total of 652 roads, including five national highways, are closed for vehicular traffic in the hill state. The maximum of 290 roads are closed in Lahaul and Spiti, followed by 149 in Shimla, 100 in Chamba, 75 in Kinnaur, 32 in Kullu, five in Mandi and one in Kangra, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre. People have been advised not to travel to the upper Shimla areas as the roads have become slippery due to snowfall, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap said. He said work is underway to clear the blocked roads and resume traffic movement.
Life was thrown out of gear in parts of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba as heavy snowfall disrupted electricity and communication. As many as 1,749 transformers are out of service in the state and 78 water supply schemes disrupted, according to the emergency operation centre.
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