At least nine people were killed since Saturday and thousands of people were stranded near Mandi as heavy rain threw life out of gear in Himachal Pradesh. About 4,000-5,000 vehicles remained stuck on the Kiratpur to Manali four-lane highway near Mandi in Himachal Pradesh owing to landslides since Sunday evening. A total of 301 roads were closed in the state following heavy rains, while 140 power transformers are disrupted. Flash floods were witnessed in Khotinallah near Aut, about 40 km from Mandi town, on the Pandoh-Kullu stretch due to a heavy downpour and the commuters have been stranded since Sunday evening. The alternative Mandi-Kullu route via Katola, blocked due to landslides, has been opened after almost 20 hours and small vehicles are now being diverted through this stretch, officials in the Mandi administration said. VIDEO | Mandi-Kullu road blocked due to a heavy landslide triggered by continuous rain in Himachal. The road leading to Parashar ahead of Kamand is also closed due to flash flood. People are advised not to stay on the roads adjacent to mountains as there is a high risk of… pic.twitter.com/etKejtHfRq — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 26, 2023 “There was a very heavy landslide around midnight at 6 Mile and 7 Mile near Pandoh and huge boulders fell on the road. Heavy machinery is required to remove the boulders,” said Additional Superintendent of Police (Mandi) Sagar Chander. He added that traffic was stopped after landslides hit the stretch around 6 pm Sunday. Most of the debris was cleared by midnight but another heavy landslide occurred around 1.30 am Monday. The landslides have been caused by heavy rainfall in the past two days since the arrival of the monsoon. The Southwest Monsoon reached Himachal Pradesh on June 24. Himachal Pradesh | Heavy rainfall in Mandi district leads to landslide on Chandigarh-Manali highway near 7 Mile; causes heavy traffic jam pic.twitter.com/GfFtAcR9O5 — ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2023 According to a report released by the State Disaster Management Authority Monday, 83 roads and two national highways have been closed in Himachal Pradesh. Most of the affected roads are in the Mandi district where 29 roads have been closed to traffic. The Himachal Pradesh government has deployed SDRF and NDRF personnel to clear the roads. A road from Mandi to Kullu via Kautala was also closed to traffic for some time because of landslides. The Kullu district administration has advised tourists and other commuters to follow the hourly updates on the district administration’s Facebook page before going out. The state has witnessed three deaths resulting from heavy rain in the last two days. One person is also missing. A search operation is being carried out by the police with the help of an NDRF team at Navlay in Mandi district. Hundreds of sheep and goats also got washed away, and five cowsheds got damaged in flash floods across the state.
