At least three killed, and more than 50 were went missing in two separate incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh, where rains washed away many houses and roads and left two hydropower projects damaged in the early hours on Thursday, August 1.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and stock of the situation in Shimla district, which has been hit by floods due to sudden cloudbursts. Shah also assured Sukhu of all possible help from the central government and the support of the National Disaster Response Force to deal with the situation.
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "Very sad news has been received about more than 50 people missing due to cloudburst in Rampur tehsil of Shimla, Padhar tehsil of Mandi district and Jaon, Nirmand villages of Kullu. Teams of NDRF, SDRF, Police, Home Guard and Fire Services are engaged in relief, search and rescue operations. The local administration has been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations smoothly. I am in touch with the officials and monitoring the relief and rescue operations. The state government is committed to providing all possible assistance."
"An emergency meeting is being held with officials at the Secretariat after the tragic incidents of cloudburst at many places in the state last night. The state government is engaged in rescue and relief work. Necessary guidelines have been given to the administration. Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi is also present in the meeting," he said.
Two people died, and 28 others went missing after a cloudburst at Samagh Khud nallah in the Rampur subdivision of Shimla district. Two people have been rescued from the spot by the locals. According to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap the cloudburst occurred around to 1 AM on the interview night of Wednesday and Thursday. Rescue operation is challenging as roads have been washed away, he stated.
Also Read | Himachal Cloudburst: One Dead, 28 Missing After Cloudburst In Shimla And Mandi.
Revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi said massive damage has been caused by heavy rains and cloudbursts in the state. Road connectivity has been hampered in the affected areas. Four motorable bridges and footbridges have been washed away, and rescue operations are going on in full swing, he said, adding that the apple crop has also been damaged.
The DC and SP, who were on the spot, said that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo Tibetan Border Police, police and home guards have started rescue operations and help of drones is being taken to locate the missing persons.
Another cloudburst in the Thalatukhod area of Padhar in Mandi district on Wednesday night left one person dead and nine others missing. Few houses have collapsed and the road connectivity has been disrupted. The Mandi district administration has sought assistance from the Indian Air Force and NDRF.
Due to the overflowing Beas River, the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway has been damaged at several places. Reports of houses being damaged in Bhagipul in Kullu have also poured in and an alert has been issued in Bhuntar area of Kullu as the swollen Parvati River and Malana Khud were flooded, damaging Malana I and Malana II hydropower projects.
All educational institutions in the affected regions have been closed as authorities focus on rescue and relief operations, officials said. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has convened an emergency meeting at the secretariat following the cloudburst.