Shimla, 1 August

Three people were killed and about 50 went missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads, officials said on Thursday.

The state emergency operation centre said the cloudburst took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts. A cloudburst at Samej Khud (nallah) in Rampur subdivision of Shimla district left two people dead and 28 others missing, Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, told PTI.

Two people have been rescued from the spot. Rescue operation is challenging as roads have been washed away, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Shimla, Anupam Kashyap said. The Shimla 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 village Rajban near Terang in Padhar subdivision of Mandi district on Wednesday night left one person dead and nine others missing. Two houses have been washed away while another was damaged, officials said.

A cloudburst also occurred in Kullu district, leaving seven people missing. "Seven people are missing and about eight-nine houses have been washed away in Bhagipul area of Nirmand block in Kullu district and CISF and special Home Guard (quick response team) have been deputed for search operation to locate the missing persons, Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Torul S Raveesh told the PTI.

She said three people were missing and three-four houses have been damaged in Samej on the border of Shimla district. A breach was also reported in Malana Dam but the situation is under control.

Some people are stuck in the Malana I hydropower project. They are in underground buildings and safe and NDRF and Home Guard teams are making efforts to rescue them, she said adding that Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been breached at numerous places due to landslides and gushing waters of River Beas. All educational institutions and schools in the district have been closed for two days, she said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and took stock of the situation arising due to the cloudburst in the state, and assured him of all help from the Centre. Speaking with reporters after an emergency meeting on the matter, Sukhu said that massive damage has been caused in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts since Wednesday night and about 50 persons are missing and Manali has been cut off by road.

Shah and Union minister JP Nadda have assured all possible help, he said and added that support from the Army and the Air Force would be sought and the state would get two more teams of the NDRF to help in the disaster.

Nadda has sought a detailed report from the chief minister and assured all possible help from the Modi government. "Received sad news of massive damage due to cloudbursts at different places in HP, had detailed talks on phone with chief minister regarding continuous natural disasters in the state and assured all possible help from Modi government", Nadda posted on X. He also appealed to the BJP leaders and workers to reach out to the affected people and provide them relief.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also condoled the loss of lives in the cloudburst incidents and asked party workers to extend help to those affected. State 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.

Shimla-Junga road was closed due to landslide and reports of vehicles being buried in debris in Rajnagar in Churah assembly constituency in Chamba and roads blocked in Hamirpur district have also poured in.

Heavy rains have lashed parts of Himachal since Wednesday evening and Palampur with 212 mm of rain was wettest in the state followed by Chauri (203 mm), Dharamshala (183.2 mm) Jogindernagar (161 mm), Kangra (150 mm), Sujanpur Tira (142 mm), Baijnath (135 mm), Nadaun 9103.5 mm) , Poanta Sahib(121.2 mm), Nahan (98.9m mm), Kufri (84.5 mm), Shimla (64.6 mm), Sainj (61 mm), Bilaspur (56 mm) and Berthin (50 mm). Heavy to very heavy rain has been recorded at 20 stations in the state and the rainfall would continue in the state, said meteorological expert Sandeep Sharma, adding that an orange alert of heavy rain has been issued for Kangra, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts on Thursday.

The wet spell would continue for the next four-five days in the state

Data recorded till Tuesday showed that rain-related incidents had claimed 65 lives since the onset of monsoon on June 27. The state has also suffered losses to the tune of Rs 433 crore, according to the state's Emergency Operation Centre.