Himachal Pradesh: Many roads damaged due to cloudburst

Shimla Shimla: Several roads have been damaged due to cloudburst and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh. 191 roads including 3 national highways are closed due to landslides and rains, a total of 294 power supply schemes are disrupted and about 120 water supply schemes are disrupted in the state. 47 people are still missing in various parts of the state, including 36 people missing in Samej area of ​​Rampur area of ​​Shimla district. Rescue and search operations are underway in the area. So far 6 people have died in the state, 47 are still missing, 11 have been rescued and no one is stranded. A total of 60 houses have been completely damaged due to flash floods and cloudburst during the last 56 hours in the state. A total of 16 vehicles and 3 fish farms were also washed away. More than 400 personnel of NDRF, SDRF, Police, Home Guards, ITBP, Army, CISF and others are deployed in rescue, search and relief operations.

CISF Head Constable Rajesh Kumar said, “We are evacuating properties stuck in houses after the tragedy that took place here two days ago. Properties are being safely evacuated from houses. This team has been working since morning.” Due to heavy and continuous rains in many parts of the state, Bandrol village was cut off from Kullu due to landslides. NH 5 was cleared using JCB machines and opened for vehicular movement after a landslide from the hill near Mukam Dattyar Truck Le Bay on Saturday morning. Long queues of vehicles were seen on the Kullu-Manali bypass road. Portions of the Kullu-Manali highway were washed away due to a cloudburst on August 1. Repair work is underway.

Special Secretary, Disaster Management, DC Rana said, “Thursday’s incident mainly affected Samej area of ​​Rampur, Bagipul area of ​​Kullu and Paddar area of ​​Mandi district. These three places were the epicentre of the cloudburst and special agencies responded to the situation immediately after receiving the information. 53 people were found missing on Thursday. As of Friday, about 6 bodies have been recovered and about 47 people are missing. Many villages have been affected, people have also become homeless. Our special agencies are on the spot and they are searching for those who are missing.” The state government, led by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, has launched massive rescue and relief efforts. The cloudburst disaster has left behind a trail of devastation, especially affecting areas around Manali.

Amid the ongoing operation, Chief Minister Sukhu urged tourists to be cautious. “Tourists are welcome, but I urge them not to go to risky areas like rivers and waterfalls for photography and selfies,” he said, stressing the importance of safety at this critical time. Efforts are also underway to restore essential services, including water supply and other vital schemes disrupted by the disaster. (ANI)