Livestock perish, roads destroyed in HP cloudburst

Over 220 sheep and goats, three cowsheds, five windmills and a vital bridge were washed away in a cloudburst in Lahaul and Spiti district while heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh.
No human casualties are reported as a result of the phenomenon.
Road links to the five villages of Shufto, Khanjar, Thingrath, Udghot and Shalini were broken as the cloudburst at Chungut village washed away the vital bridge.
While 220 sheep and goats also perished, the cloudburst destroyed a 200m stretch of road and the Mahila Mandal building along with cowsheds and windmills, Lahaul and Spiti Deputy Commissioner, BS Thakur, said.

The herd of cattle was crossing the bridge when it was suddenly hit by the gushing waters.
The executive engineer, revenue officers and rescue teams have reached the affected area for relief work with interim relief being provided to affected families, he added.

Meanwhile, heavy rains lashed Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur and parts of Shimla district, triggering landslides in interior parts and disrupting vehicular traffic.
Dharamshala in Kangra district was the wettest place in the region with 200mm rainfall till this morning.
Baijnath and Palampur received 170mm and 161mm rainfall, respectively, followed by Jogindernagar (119mm), Khaeri (98mm), Gaggal (69mm), Nurpur (62mm), Guler (54mm) and Paonta Sahib (48mm).

Although there was no significant change in minimum temperatures, the maximum rose by a few notches at some places with Una being the hottest place in the region at 32.8 degrees Celsius.
Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts, respectively, recorded minimums of 13.4 and 15.4 degree, respectively.
Conditions were cloudy and intermittent light to heavy showers continued to lash the region.
The local MeT office has predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in the low and middle hills in the coming 24 hours while the state is expected to see widespread rains over the coming five days.