Heavy rain halts rescue operation at cloudburst-hit Samej Khad in Himachal’s Shimla

Himachal Pradesh cloudbursts also triggered flash floods that washed away several buildings, bridges, and roads cutting off several areas of the state.

Relatives of people who have been missing are seen at the cloudburst site in Samej Khad in Shimla.

Heavy rain on Friday forced authorities to stop the rescue operation to trace around 36 people who have been missing after a cloudburst in the Samej Khad area of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district before resuming the search. So far, the rescue teams have not been able to locate any of the missing persons, making their relatives more anxious.

According to officials on Thursday, as many as five people were killed and nearly 50 went missing after five cloudbursts hit Himachal Pradesh in the last 24 hours. The cloudbursts — in Malana, Sainj and Nirmand areas of Kullu, Rampur in the state capital Shimla, and Padhar in Mandi district — also triggered flash floods that washed away several buildings, bridges, and roads cutting off several areas.

The incessant rain and cloudy weather also delayed the scheduled visit of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to the cloudburst-affected area. Sources said Sukhu abandoned his plan to reach Rampur by helicopter due to bad weather and travelled by road. After he reached the site of the cloudburst at Samej Khad in Rampur, he took stock of the situation.

Anupam Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, said, “The rescue operation was started at 6 am this morning. A heavy spell of rain forced the rescue teams to stop the operation as the water level in Samej Khad increased. Rescue teams are also searching for the missing people in Samej Khad. The rescue operation has been resumed”.

An officer with the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) said, “We have decided to conduct a search for the missing people within a radius of approximately 85 km of Samej Khad, where the cloudburst occurred Wednesday night. Five cloudbursts, three in Kullu, one in Mandi, and one in Shimla, were reported. Samej Khad area in Rampur of Shimla is the worst affected. The majority of the missing, 36 out of around 50, are from the Rampur area in Shimla. Four recovered bodies were of missing people from Kullu”.

Among the 36 people missing in Shimla are four-year-old Advik and Mangla Devi, 70. Four migrant women from Jharkhand, seven employees of Greenco Samej Hydro Energy Private Limited, and two Nepali nationals, along with many residents from different districts across Himachal Pradesh are also among those missing after the cloudbursts.

An officer involved in the rescue operation said over two dozen families have lost more than two to five members. Ravinder Kedarnath of Samej Khad lost two of his daughters — Ranu, 16, and Tanu, 15.

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“Advik is missing along with his 7-year-old sister Arushi and their 34-year-old mother Kalpana. Similarly, there is no clue about Shyam Singh, 39, his wife Saraswati, 33, daughter Arushi, 13, and son Arun, 15. The entire family is from the village of Samej, which is the worst affected area in yesterday’s tragedy,” said the officer.

Saurabh Parashar

Saurabh Parashar is a journalist with The Indian Express, where he primarily covers developments in Himachal Pradesh. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2017 and has earlier worked with The Times of India. He has 17 year + experience in the field of print journalism. An alumnus of Government College for Men, Sector 11, (Panjab University), Chandigarh, Saurabh holds a Diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chandigarh. He pursued his Master’s in Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. In addition, he completed his law degree from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. ... Read More

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