Six killed, 13 feared dead in Himachal flash flood, landslide; cloudburst reported in Dehradun

SHIMLA, AUG 20: Six people were killed and 13 others were feared dead in separate incidents of flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Saturday.

Twenty-two people, who were stranded following a flash flood in the state’s Hamirpur district, were evacuated safely, they said.

According to officials, trains between Jogindernagar-Pathankot route have been suspended after the Chakki bridge in Kangra district collapsed in the morning due to heavy rains.

The railway authorities had declared the bridge unsafe.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed condolences over the deaths and said that administration is carrying out rescue operations on war-footing in the affected districts.

According to officials, three people were killed after their house collapsed following a landslide triggered by rains in Chamba district.

The Chamba district emergency operation centre (DEOC) said the landslide occurred at Banet village in Chowari tehsil around 4.

30 am following which a house collapsed, killing three people.

In Mandi, a girl was killed and 13 others were feared dead in a landslide and flash flood triggered by heavy rains, officials said.

The body of a girl has recovered about half-a-km away from her house in Baghi Nullah on Mandi-Katola-Prashar road on Friday night, while five members of her family were washed away, state disaster management department officials said.

Several families also left their houses located between Baghi to Old Katola areas after a cloud burst and took shelter at safe places, the department added.

Besides, eight members of another family are also feared buried under the debris of their house following a landslide at Kashan village in Gohar development block, the department added.

However, the bodies have not been retrieved yet, it said.

Several roads in Mandi district have also been blocked following flash floods and multiple landslides.

Several vehicles were damaged and a number of villagers were stuck in their houses as water entered their houses and shops at Balh, Sadar, Thunag, Mandi and Lamathach, officials said.

Schools in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district will remain closed on Saturday due to ongoing incessant rains, a senior administration official said.

Several vehicles parked along the road were damaged and residents remained stuck inside their houses, they said.

In Kangra, a ‘kacha’ house collapsed killing a nine-year-old child, officials said.

In another incident in this district, a 48-year-old man, identified as Bal Mukund, was killed in Lahar village following a landslide, they said.

Officials said two pillars of the Kangra valley Chakki river rail bridge was also washed away due to a flash flood.

The Pathankot -Mandi national highway has been closed for traffic following landslides at different places.

Himachal Pradesh’s disaster management department has issued a warning for landslides due to heavy rains predicted in the state till August 25.

Precipitation is likely to increase during the next 24 hours for the subsequent three-four days with spells of heavy rainfall in parts of Kangra, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur districts, state disaster management department director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said.

Mokhta asked district emergency operations centres (DEOCs) to take adequate safety measures as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, rock-slides, sudden increases in water level in rivers, poor visibility and disruption of essential services may occur during the period.

Meanwhile, the Kangra district administration has issued an advisory, asking tourists and people to not go near rivers and streams after the India Meteorological Department predicted moderate to heavy rainfall till August 28.

Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, Dr Nipun Jindal said, “Tourists and the general public are advised not to go near rivers, streams and other water bodies. Similarly, areas vulnerable to the landslide should also be avoided”.

He also asked authorities to remain alert and respond to any situation that may arise out of the situation.

Jindal said the deputy director of the education department has already been instructed to conduct online classes in schools.

A cloudburst hit a village here in the early hours of Saturday, causing rivers to breach their banks and wash away bridges, officials said.

Water also entered the caves of Tapkeshwar, a famous Shiva temple on the banks of the Tons river, which was in spate, they said.

The cloudburst occurred around 2.15 am in Sarkhet village in the Raipur area, the officials said.

A bridge over the Song river near Thano has washed away.

The Kempty Falls, a popular tourist spot near Mussoorie, was also flowing dangerously, they said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the affected areas near Thano and instructed officials to make alternative arrangements for restoring vehicular movement.

“The administration is fully alert. Disaster relief teams are already at work in the affected areas. The Army’s help may also be taken if needed,” he said.

Dhami was accompanied by Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma Kau and Garhwal commissioner Sushil Kumar.

Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi and Dehradun District Magistrate Sonika also visited the affected areas to assess the damage.

An 80-year-old woman was trapped in the debris that entered a house in the Kirtinagar area of Tehri district.

Mud entered homes in over a dozen villages following the cloudburst, prompting the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to shift the affected people to safe locations.

The affected villages include Maldevta, Bhutsi, Tauliyakatal, Thatyud, Lavarkha, Ringalgadh, Dhuttu, Ragad Gaon and Sarkhet, according to the officials.

The affected residents have been shifted to schools and panchayat buildings, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dhanolti, Lakshmi Raj Chauhan.

The Raipur-Kumalda motor road has been blocked due to debris at a number of places, he said.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway is blocked at Totaghati, the Rishikesh-Gangotri highway is blocked at Nagni, and the Narendranagar-Ranipokhri motor road is blocked at several points, Chauhan said.

-PTI