Three killed, 40 missing as rains wreak havoc in Himachal

40 people missing after two separate incidents of cloudburst where rains washed away many houses and roads and left two hydro power projects damaged

Shimla: Three people were killed and about 40 went missing after two separate incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses and roads and left two hydro power projects damaged, officials said on Thursday.

A cloudburst at Samagh Khud (nallah) in Rampur subdivision of Shimla district left two people dead and 28 others missing, Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, said. Two people have been rescued from the spot.

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Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap said the cloudburst occurred close to 1 am. Rescue operation is challenging as roads have been washed away, he said. Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said massive damage has been caused due to heavy rains and cloudburst 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 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 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.

The Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been breached at numerous places due to landslides and gushing waters of River Beas has entered some houses at Pandoh in Mandi. There were reports of some people missing and houses and shops being washed away in the area.

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.