Torrential rains, flash floods, and landslides continue to wreak havoc across Himachal Pradesh, claiming at least 63 lives in the state since the start of monsoon on June 20, according to the latest official data. 40 others are reportedly missing.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s Media Advisor Naresh Chauhan said, “63 dead, 40 missing due to cloudbursts and other rain-related disasters in the state.”
Chauhan also shared that 1 per cent of the state’s population will soon receive Civil Defence training to tackle disasters.
The state emergency operation centre (SEOC) said 261 roads, including 186 in Mandi district, are closed to traffic in the state, and 599 transformers and 797 water supply schemes have been disrupted due to heavy rains in the past few days.
It added that the calamities damaged over 150 houses, 104 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, 14 bridges, and several roads.
Mandi death toll mounts to 13
On Thursday, officials said two more bodies were recovered, taking the death toll in the cloudburst and flash flood-related incidents in Mandi alone to 13.
Search is underway for 29 others missing.
While seven bodies were recovered from Gohar, five were from Thunag and one in Karsog subdivisions of Mandi district.
Ten cloudbursts, three flash floods and a landslide were witnessed in different parts of Mandi district on Tuesday.
370 people, including 316 in Mandi, were rescued, and five relief camps have been set up.
Two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), alongside police and home guards, are actively engaged in search and rescue operations in the district.
‘Orange alert’
The weather agency has issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas across the state for five days from July 5 to 9.
It has also warned of low to moderate flash flood risk in parts of six districts: Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur in the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains have continued to lash parts of Himachal Pradesh. Pachhad in Sirmaur district received 133.3 mm of rain since Wednesday evening, followed by Mehra Barsar 92 mm, Jubbarhatti 59.4 mm, Jatton Barrage 566 mm, Una 55.2 mm, Baijnath 55 mm, Brahmani 42.2 mm, Baggi 37.5 mm, Murari Devi 34.6 mm, and Kangra 32.6 mm.