| 5 killed, 50 missing amid cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh | | | Agencies
SHIMLA, Aug 2: Five people were killed and over 45 missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads, officials said on Thursday. The state emergency operation centre said the cloudbursts took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts. The local Meteorological office has issued a "red alert" of heavy to extremely heavy rains along with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in three districts of Kangra, Kullu and Mandi on Thursday.
A cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Samej, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs, and as a result, the water in Samej Khud (nallah) in the Rampur subdivision of the Shimla district rose leaving two people dead and about 30 missing, Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI. The rescue operation is challenging as roads have been washed away, Shimla Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap said.
"I heard the sound of gushing waters and came out of the house to find flash floods near my home and immediately rushed to a safe place," said senior citizen Nali Ram, who along with his family members, managed to escape.
"My father-in-law, who was working in a project, has been missing since Wednesday night and I along with other relatives came here to search for him," said Neel Dutt.
Mohan Lal Kaptiya, pradhan of the Sarpara Panchayat under which Samej falls, said that about 29-30 houses, primary health centre and school have been washed away in the flash floods triggered by cloudbursts. However, the administration is assessing the losses, he added.
The Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been damaged at several places due to landslides, an official said. |
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