Cloudbursts wreak havoc in Himachal, 2 dead, over 50 missing

Due to several cloudbursts in the districts of Kullu, Shimla and Mandi in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, two bodies have been recovered and over 50 people are missing.

“Two additional battalions of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed by the Centre for relief and rescue operations,” Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said on Thursday.

After chairing a high-level meeting here to review rescue and relief operations, the Chief Minister said Rampur Tehsil in Shimla, Padhar Tehsil in Mandi and Jaon in Nirmand village in Kullu were the worst affected.

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force have been asked to remain on high alert for any emergency as the Meteorological Department has forecast sustained heavy rains for the next 36 hours.

The tourist resort of Manali is cut off from the outside world after damage to the national highway.

The accident occurred at about 4:40 a.m., the Prime Minister told the media.

He added that there was damage to the dam of the Malan Hydropower Project in Kullu.

“The project is partially damaged. We are monitoring the situation and the government is working on a war footing,” he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Sukhu over the phone to assess the situation following the cloudbursts that caused severe disruption in Samej Khad area of ​​Rampur in Shimla district.

His Majesty Shah assured Prime Minister Sukhu of the support of the Central Government and the NDRF.

The chief minister, who is visiting the disaster-hit areas, said two bodies had been recovered and teams of NDRF, SDRF, police, home guard and fire brigade were involved in relief, search and rescue operations.

“The local administration has been instructed to carry out the relief and rescue operations smoothly. I am in touch with the officials and monitoring the relief and rescue operations,” he wrote on X, adding, “The state government is committed to providing all possible help.”

The impact of the cloudbursts was felt mainly in areas of Kullu district and areas of Shimla district bordering Kullu.

At least 36 people are missing in Rampur. Teams of ITBP, SDRF and Home Guards are conducting search and rescue operations there.

According to Mandi police, a cloudburst occurred in Rajban village near Terang, washing away two houses and partially damaging one house. Nine people are missing since then and one injured person has been rescued.

The Shimla Meteorological Office has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in isolated parts of the state for the next 24 hours.
Flash floods in the Beas and Parvati rivers in Kullu district reportedly caused damage to public and private property.

After heavy rains, part of the hydroelectric power plant in Malana on the Parvati River was damaged.

The Kullu administration has issued an alert and advised people not to go near the river and water canals.

Union Minister and BJP leader JP Nadda spoke to the Prime Minister and assured him of all possible help from the Central government.

Nadda also spoke to former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and directed all BJP workers to participate in relief efforts.

The weather department also warned of the possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas of Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla and Kinnaur districts.

Severe damage to public and private property was reported from Palchan to Patlikuhal in Kullu district.

Numerous bridges in Palchan and Nehrukund were damaged due to flooding from the river, officials said.

In Kullu, the building of a newly constructed vegetable market has collapsed.

The Kullu-Manali national highway is closed due to flooding near Kalath. With the rising water levels, people fled their homes along the river banks in Nehrukund, Bahang, Rangdi, Aloo Ground, Kalath, 17 Mile, 15 Mile and Patlikuhal.

The road in Palchan was also damaged.

The Manali-Leh road was closed due to massive landslides and the Manali administration was busy all night warning the population.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) (Manali) Raman Sharma told the media that the police had been warning the people living on the river banks with sirens throughout the night.
He urged people to leave their homes only in case of emergency and not to travel.