Himachal rains: Rescue operations on to trace 30 missing in Mandi

Rescue teams are searching for 30 missing people after cloudbursts and flash floods devastated Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district. Extensive damage to infrastructure and livestock has been reported. The state faces continued rain, with estimated losses nearing ₹700 crore and 78 deaths recorded

Shimla: Search and rescue operations are underway with drones and sniffer dogs being used to trace 30 people who went missing after cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides wreaked havoc in the Thunag, Gohar and Karsog subdivisions of Mandi district last week, officials said on Monday.

About 250 personnel from the National and State Disaster Response Forces, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Home Guards, along with the administration and locals, are undertaking the search and rescue work. Besides, 20 teams are gathering information and distributing ration and medical kits in inaccessible areas, officials said.

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So far, 1,538 ration kits have been distributed to the affected people and immediate relief of Rs 12.44 lakh has been provided. An additional Rs 5 lakh each is being sent to the Thunag and Janjheli areas, they added.

About 225 houses, seven shops, 243 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, 14 bridges and several roads were damaged in the disaster. A total of 215 cattle have perished, while 494 people have been rescued, as per the latest report.

Till Sunday evening, 243 roads were closed in the State, of which 183 are in Mandi district alone. Additionally, 241 transformers and 278 water supply schemes were affected in Himachal Pradesh, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the officials said.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rain lashed parts of the State. Nangal Dam received 56 mm of rain, followed by Olinda (46 mm), Berthin (44.6 mm), Una (43 mm), Naina Devi (36.4 mm), Gohar (29 mm) and Brahmani (28.4 mm).

The local Met office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rain at isolated places in the State till July 10 (Thursday).

The estimated losses due to the rains so far stand at around Rs 572 crore, as per the SEOC, though the chief minister maintained the figure was close to Rs 700 crore as data was still being compiled.

Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, the State has reported 78 deaths, of which 50 were linked to rain-related incidents such as cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides. As many as 121 people have sustained injuries so far.