Rescue work on in flood-hit Himachal

Jammu, August 3: Officials in India's north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh sifted through debris on Thursday to locate people washed awa...

Jammu, August 3: Officials in India’s north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh sifted through debris on Thursday to locate people washed away by floods that killed at least 105.

Relief workers were clearing roads of wreckage, trying to re-establish communication lines and relocating people whose houses had been washed away.

The Pioneer and The Tribune newspapers quoted officials as saying 105 deaths had been confirmed by late Wednesday.

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Officials said 26 bodies had been recovered so far out of more than 150 who were missing. Hundreds are feared dead in the floods which occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Preliminary estimates put the cost of the damage at around $10 billion ($22 million) but officials said the full extent of the devastation would not be known until communication lines had been restored with the flood-hit areas.

"The area of devastation is very vast and it is difficult to assess the loss of life and property off hand", a police official told Reuters. The floods affected the four districts of Kinnaur, Mandi, Shimla and Kullu in the Himalayan state.

The river Sutlej burst its banks on Tuesday aftertorrential rains and the surging waters swept away houses, irrigation projects, bridges and an army camp.