Himachal cloudburst: Death toll rises to 8, rescue operations underway

Rescue operations are underway on Friday to trace about 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday.

With recovery of three more bodies, the death toll due to the flash floods in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision has increased to eight.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu along with Education Minister Rohit Thakur visited Samej on the border of Shimla and Kullu district to take stock of the situation and talk to the victims.

Over 30 people were missing after a cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev route on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Sarpara, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs.

 

Talking to reporters, Sukhu said 17-18 women and 8-9 children are among those missing. The rescue of people is our first priority.

The chief minister announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and also said that they would be given Rs 5,000 a month for rent for the next three months along with gas, food and other essential items.

He said that arrangements would be made for schooling of children as several primary and secondary schools have been damaged.

A relief package would be announced for the disaster-hit victims after the monsoon season is over, he added.

Five bodies were found in Mandi's Rajban village, one in Nirmand in Kullu, officials said on Friday while mutilated parts of two people were recovered in Rampur, SP Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.

The two bodies recovered in Rajban on Friday were identified as that of Aman (9) and Aryan (8) while five people are still missing on this site.

Relatives of the missing persons are camping at the sites with hope fading with every passing hour.

"Bodies of my father-in-law and mother-in-law have been recovered but my son, my brother-in-law, his wife and their six-year-old son and two-month-old daughter are still missing," a wailing woman told PTI Videos.

"Fear of death kept us awake all night as we climbed to a mountain to stay safe," said another villager who came out after hearing screams to see houses swept in flash floods.

As per the state emergency operation centre, 103 houses have been completely or partially damaged in the three districts besides six motorable and 32 foot bridges, shops, schools and vehicles in the past 36 hours.

At the site of the Malana II power project in Manikaran area of Kullu district, 33 stranded people were rescued on Thursday night and Friday morning by the teams of the NDRF and home guard, said Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Torul S Raveesh.

Talking to reporters outside the Parliament in Delhi, BJP MP from Mandi Lok Sabha seat Kangana Ranaut expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the cloudburst incidents, and said life of people in the tough terrain is difficult and such disasters are adding to their pain every year.

"The prime minister and home minister have assured that relief would be given to the state. I am also going to different ministries in New Delhi to get help for Himachal and would visit the state soon," she added.

Personnel of the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, State Disaster Response Force, police and home guards are involved in the rescue operations and the help of drones is being taken to locate the missing persons, officials added.

Due to flash floods triggered by cloudburst, the water in Samej Khud in Shimla district's Rampur rose, leaving two people dead and over 30 missing, Shimla SP Gandhi had told PTI.

Mutilated body parts of two persons were recovered on Thursday, he added.

So far since the onset of monsoon on June 27 till August 1, as many as 73 people have died in rain-related incidents and the state has also suffered losses to the tune of Rs 649 crore, according to the state's Emergency Operation Centre.