Two people have died and at least 50 others are missing after cloudbursts at three places in Himachal Pradesh this morning. The three cloudbursts caused major damage at Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu.
In Shimla, where at least 20 people were reported missing, the district administration said the disaster management authority received information about a cloudburst near a hydroelectric power project at Samej Khad early today.
A disaster response team has been rushed to the spot and top officials, including Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap and district police chief Sanjeev Gandhi, are on their way.
#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh | 19 people are missing after a cloudburst in the Samej Khad of Rampur area in Shimla district. The SDRF team at the spot for the search and rescue operation
(Visual source – DPRO Shimla) pic.twitter.com/afz23ylf4P
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2024
Mr Kashyap said, “According to the information we received, about 20 people are missing from the area affected by the cloudburst.”
The cloudburst has hit road connectivity in the area, so the rescue teams are trying to hike to the affected site.
Cloudbursts have taken place in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi too, about 125 km from Shimla. An order issued by Mandi deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan has said cloudbursts in Rajban village near Muhal Terang has led to road blockades and landslides.
“Under these circumstances, movement of staff, school and college children, and trainees may not be safe and should be restricted,” the Deputy Commissioner said, announcing that all educational institutions and vocational training centres in Padhar subdivision must remain shut.
Monsoon fury has also hit normal life in neighbouring Uttarakhand. Two people died and another was injured after a cloudburst at Jakhanyali in Tehri Garhwal district. The dead have been identified as Bhanu Prasad (50) and Anita Devi (45).
A spokesperson from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said that they received information about three people missing due to a cloudburst last night.
“During the search, SDRF recovered two bodies and found an injured person in a 200-metre-deep ditch. He was brought out on a stretcher,” the spokesperson said, according to an ANI report.
In Haridwar, two children died and nine others were injured when the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed after heavy rainfall, said an official.
The dead were identified as Aas Mohammed (10) and Nagma (8). District Magistrate Dhiraj Singh Garbyal told ANI that three people among the injured are in a critical condition. “The remaining are also hospitalised but are out of danger. This old house was in a dilapidated state, and heavy rain caused it to collapse,” he said.
