At least 9 dead as heavy rains wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Amid the surging of the river and falling of stones on the Kullu-Manali road, the movement of vehicles from Kullu and Manali towards Atal Tunnel and Rohtang has been completely stopped, the police said. As many as thirteen landslides and nine flash floods have been reported in the state in the past 36 hours, while 736 roads have been closed for traffic.

View of a car swept away in the water after flash floods occurred due to heavy monsoon rainfall, in Una district, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. The flash flood damaged about 10 houses in a village in Haroli area as light to moderate rains continued to lash several parts of the state. (PTI Photo)

Three people were killed and three others were missing after a vehicle hit by a landslide fell into the Ganga River in Tehri Garhwal district on Sunday, officials said. The vehicle was carrying 11 people, including the driver, police said, adding five of them were rescued and admitted to a government hospital in Rishikesh. They were on their way to Rishikesh from Kedarnath.

In view of the inclement weather, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged the people to avoid unnecessary movement and has requested pilgrims coming to the state to plan their journey only after getting the latest weather information to avoid inconvenience. In a tweet, he said he has directed the administration to remain on ‘red alert’ mode to deal with any kind of situation.

Due to the overflowing of major rivers, including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Chenab, tourists have been asked to avoid travelling during heavy rains and not to venture out near river bodies.

#WATCH | Water from overflowing Beas river enters Pandoh village in Mandi district

IMD has issued a heavy rainfall alert in Himachal Pradesh for the next two days.

(Video source: Himachal Pradesh police) pic.twitter.com/VJr5Izprvr

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

A portion of the Leh-Manali national highway (NH3) was washed away due to the overflowing Beas River, ANI reported.

A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Sunday evacuated five people who were trapped in their homes due to the rise in the water level of the Beas river near Kullu, as per ANI.

#WATCH | NDRF rescues five people from an inundated house as Beas river is in spate in Charudu village, Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh

(Video source: NDRF) pic.twitter.com/xTGhrdjDfF

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

Meanwhile, landslides and flash floods blocked several roads in Shimla, Sirmaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and Solan districts. All the trains between UNESCO heritage Shimla and Kalka track have been cancelled as landslides and falling of trees blocked the railway track at many places.

An uprooted tree after it fell on a railway track following heavy monsoon rains, in Shimla, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

A flooded area following heavy rainfall, in Mandi district, Sunday, June 25, 2023. (PTI Photo)

The IMD has issued a ‘red’ alert for seven districts including Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts on July 8 and 9. An ‘orange’ alert has been issued for Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

The Met department has warned of isolated extremely heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand throughout Saturday and Sunday.

“We have shared our forecast with the state government and a warning has also been issued for flash floods, landslides, and uprooting of trees. These events might also hit water and electricity supply,” IMD HP deputy director Bui Lal told ANI.

Manali-Leh national highway was also blocked following flooding. Earlier, on Saturday, the IMD said that there was a possibility of flash floods and avalanches in Lahaul and Spiti district due to the continuous rainfall it has received.