Himachal rain fury: Landslides, flash flood kill 22, eight of family among them

Himachal Pradesh Disaster Management Department Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said 34 weather-related incidents have been recorded so far in the state with the highest damage being reported from Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts. The IMD has forecast moderate to heavy rain in Himachal till August 28.

According to officials, three people were killed after their house collapsed following a landslide in Chamba district. The district emergency operation centre said the landslide occurred at Banet village in Chowari tehsil around at 4.30 am.

In Mandi alone, 13 people died and six went missing in flash floods and landslides caused by heavy rain, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said. Those missing are feared dead, he said.

The bodies of eight members of a family were retrieved from the debris of their house after a four-hour search by the NDRF and police at Kashan village in Gohar development block, he added. The house collapsed in a landslide.

The body of a girl was recovered some distance away from her house after a flash flood in Baghi nullah on the Mandi-Katola-Prashar road, the DC said, adding that five members of her family are feared washed away.

Besides, seven members of another family are feared buried under the debris of their house following a landslide at Kashan village, also in Mandi, officials said.

Several roads in Mandi have been blocked following the flash flood and landslides. Several vehicles were damaged and a number of villagers were stuck as water entered their houses at Balh, Sadar, Thunag, Mandi and Lamathach, officials said. A boulder fell on a tourist car from UP in Theog, killing two of its occupants.

In Kangra, a ‘kuccha’ house collapsed, killing a nine-year-old child. In the same district, a 48-year-old man, Bal Mukund, was killed in Lahar village following a landslide, officials said.

Kangra DC Nipun Jindal said: “Tourists and the general public are advised not to go near rivers, streams and other water bodies. Similarly areas vulnerable to the landslide should also be avoided”.

Meanwhile, train services on the Jogindernagar-Pathankot route were suspended after a railway bridge on Chakki river in Kangra district collapsed. Railway authorities had earlier declared the 800-metre bridge unsafe. The Pathankot-Mandi national highway, too, has been closed.

A total of 742 roads were closed across the state due to the impact of rains.

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CM Jai Ram Thakur expressed concern over the loss of life and property and directed the district administrations to immediately ensure relief, rescue and rehabilitation works in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, in Uttarakhand, the Tamsa River was overflowing near the Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple in Dehdarun, with the water entering the caves near the temple. In Maldevta area, at least seven houses reportedly washed away following heavy rain. The famous Kempty falls near Mussoorie is also flowing dangerously and tourists and residents have been removed from the area.

With Avanish Mishra in Dehradun