22 people killed in Himachal Pradesh due to cloudburst

Shimla:

Flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh on July 31 midnight have thus far resulted in 22 fatalities while efforts are ongoing to locate over 30 missing individuals, officials stated on Wednesday.

The sudden floods were observed in Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur.

Most severely impacted was Samej village, situated within the Sarpara Panchayat in Rampur subdivision, where approximately 25 individuals are unaccounted for.

Nine bodies have been found in Mandi’s Rajbhan village, three in Nirmand and Bagipul in Kullu district, and 10 in Samej and nearby areas of Dhadkol, Bro and Sunni Dam in Shimla district, officials disclosed.

Out of the total 22 deceased, six were discovered on Wednesday — four in Shimla and two in Kullu. Twelve bodies have been identified thus far, with DNA samples being collected for identification purposes, as per the police.

The search operations are ongoing along an approximately 85-km stretch, according to the officials.

State Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi mentioned on Wednesday that the likelihood of finding more bodies is low since the affected area has already been thoroughly searched.

Relatives of the nearly 30 missing persons are starting to lose hope as the search for the victims entered its seventh day on Wednesday amidst relentless rainfall.

Providing details about the ongoing efforts in Samej village, Assistant Commanding Officer, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Karam Singh stated, “Despite the rain, the joint search and rescue operations are in progress.” “The water levels in the Sutlej River are rising and landslides are occurring in multiple locations. JCBs and other machinery are being used to clear the roads. Our soldiers are experienced and cross the river using ropes to search areas where there is a chance of finding the missing individuals,” Singh added.

The family members of the missing individuals who have been present at the scene for the past week are now hoping for the recovery of bodies to carry out final rites.

“My brother, two sisters-in-law, daughter-in-law, nephews, and niece are missing,” shared Moti Ram, who along with one of his daughter-in-law and grandson survived as they were away from home when the tragedy occurred.

The river’s water level is rising, and the rescue teams are encountering numerous challenges due to the continuous rainfall, stated Kair Singh, a local resident.

Meanwhile, the final rites of two individuals — Rachna and Pritika — were conducted by their family members in Samej.

As the rainfall persists in the region, the local meteorological office issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning at isolated spots in the state for Wednesday and Saturday.

The Meteorological Department also predicted that monsoon activity is expected to escalate in the next five to six days with fairly widespread rainfall.

BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who visited Samej village on Tuesday along with other parts of Shimla and Kullu, accused the state Congress government of failing to provide any assistance to the victims.

According to officials, a total of 663 rescuers from teams including the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police, and home guards are part of the search efforts, with rescuers ramping up the operation by deploying additional machinery, sniffer dog units, drones, and other equipment.

A total of 94 individuals lost their lives in rain-related incidents between June 27 and August 7, with the state incurring losses totaling Rs 787 crore, officials reported.