HP cloudbursts: Death toll rises to 22, five persons still missing

Twenty-two people have died and 12 injured in multiple landslides and flashfloods in Himachal on Saturday; Mandi, Chamba and Kangra were the worst-hit districts

Death toll of Saturday flashfloods and landslides after series of cloudburst in Himachal rose to 22 on Sunday, while five missing people still remained untraceable, authorities said. The rescue operation is still underway.

Debris being cleared from a road in Mandi on Sunday. (Birbal Sharma/HT)

Twenty-two people have died and 12 injured in multiple landslides and flashfloods in Himachal on Saturday. Mandi, Chamba and Kangra were the worst-hit districts.

Body of a woman missing in Baghi village near Katuala in Drang area of Mandi has been recovered by emergency workers. The search and rescue operation by NDRF is still underway.

Several families fled their homes located between Baghi and Old Katola after a cloudburst in the area on Saturday and took shelter at safer places.

Director of state disaster management authority (SDMA) Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said a total of 322 roads were blocked for traffic across the state on Sunday morning. Over 830 transformers and 86 water supply schemes were also disrupted.

Road clearance operations are underway and efforts being made to restore the power and water supply, he added.

Since the onset of Monsoon on June 29 in HP, 236 people have lost their lives, maximum 113 in road accidents. The monetary losses have mounted up to ₹1,200 crore.

Pathankot-Chamba highway blocked

Pathankot-Chamba highway has been blocked due to a massive landslide at Kandu, about 27km from Chamba town. The landslide has damaged some shops along the highway, though no loss of life has been reported. PWD has deployed men and machinery to clear the road.

Traffic on Chakki highway bridge suspended

The traffic on the highway bridge at Chakki on Pathankot-Mandi national highway has also been suspended temporarily due to threat to its pillars. The traffic has been diverted through Damtal-Lodhwan road. NHAI will take a call on restoring the traffic on the bridge after assessing the situation.

Illegal mining is said to be the reason behind damage to the bridges.

Widespread rains continue

Dalhousie was the wettest place in the state, recording 70mm rainfall, followed by 50mm in Palampur and 49mm in Pachhad. Kufri got 47mm rain, Mandi 42mm, Banjar 41mm, Chauri 40mm, Baijnath and Guler 35mm each, Jogindernagar 34mm, Bharari 31mm, Nagrota Surian 27mm, Pandoh 24mm, Kothi 23mm, Seohbag 22mm, Bhorajn 20mm, Kasol and Manali 19mm each and Gohar, Theog and Gaggal 16mm each.