Himachal Pradesh: Two Dead, 55 People Go Missing After Cloud Bursts & Heavy Rains
Heavy monsoon rains and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh last night have caused heavy loss of life and property in the Kullu, Mandi, and Shimla districts. 55 people are missing in these cloudburst incidents, while 2 people have died. 36 people are still missing in the cloudburst incident in Jhakri of the Rampur subdivision of Shimla district.
At the same time, 9 people are reported missing in the disaster that occurred in Tikkan near Padhar in Mandi district, while the bodies of 2 people have been recovered. Meanwhile, due to the rise in the Parvati River in the Manikaran valley of Kullu district, the four-story Sabzi Mandi building located at Shat got submerged in the Parvati river. Here, due to the bursting of the dam of the Malana Power Project, three to four people are trapped on the ground floor of the project, while a total of 10 people are missing in the district.
Regarding all these incidents, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu held an emergency meeting at the State Secretariat Shimla today and, expressing deep grief, said that our NDRF, SDRF, Police, Home Guard, and Fire Services teams are engaged in relief, search, and rescue work. The local administration has been instructed to carry out relief and rescue work smoothly. He said that he is monitoring the relief and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keeping a close watch on the situation arising out of heavy rainfall and cloudburst incidents in Himachal Pradesh and has asked the top officials to ensure all possible assistance to the affected people. Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and assured all possible assistance, including approval of two battalions of the NDRF.
Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has also taken information from the Chief Minister over the phone about the huge loss in the state and assured all possible assistance from the Center. Meanwhile, the weather department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state in the next 48 hours.