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Nine dead, seven missing in Himachal
Manali-Leh highway blocked due to landslides; 80 people stranded at Chitkul in Kinnaur rescued Nine people died and seven are missing in Himachal due to weather-related mishaps, officials said on Wednesday
Manali-Leh highway blocked due to landslides; 80 people stranded at Chitkul in Kinnaur rescued
Nine people died and seven are missing in Himachal due to weather-related mishaps, officials said on Wednesday.
Seven people died and three went missing after a cloudburst flooded Tozing Nullah and washed away two cars, as many tents of labourers and an earth-moving machine in Lahaul and Spiti district while heavy rain since Tuesday night triggered flashfloods and landslides in other parts of the state.
In Chamba, an earth-moving machine helper was killed after being swept away in a flashflood triggered by heavy rain at Chaned on the Chamba-Pathankot highway. Rescuers have retrieved the body of the deceased identified as Sunil Kumar. Another person died in Salooni area of Chamba after falling from a cliff. The deceased is identified as Nikku.
A 25-year-old woman, Poonam, and her four-year-old son, Nikunj, have been reported missing after being swept away in the Brahmaganga rivulet, a tributary of the Parvati river, in Manikaran valley of Kullu district. Officials said they were passing by the rivulet when the water level suddenly rose.
A tourist from Delhi, Dinita, 25, and a local resident, Vijender, were also missing. The Parvati valley was in full spate and people residing on the banks in Manikaran have been shifted to safer places.
Lahaul and Spiti deputy commissioner Neeraj Kumar said seven bodies have been recovered. The deceased have been identified as Neerath Ram, 42, from Takoli, Sher Singh, 62, Ram Singh, 49, and Mehar Singh, 49, from Bhimsei of Mandi district and M Sharif of Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Two bodies are yet to be identified.
Rescue teams, comprising members of the BRO, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), were trying to trace those missing.
Kumar said an armyman, Mohan Singh, 38, and his family members were rescued from Chhatting village. He was undergoing treatment at the regional hospital in Keylong. His family members are safe and have been sent to Jahalma. Besides, three people identified as Taj Ram, Desh Raj and Aitam Ram have also been rescued.
NDRF help sought in Lahaul and Spiti
“We have requisitioned a unit of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which is on its way,” the DC said. Several roads in the high-altitude tribal district are blocked due to landslides.
State disaster management director Sudesh Mokhta said a landslide near Kirting village of Lahaul subdivision had blocked state highway number 26. At least 50 vehicles are stranded in the area and efforts to restore traffic are on. Another landslide occurred on the highway at Hawai Mod near Kukumseri village.
An incident of flashflood was reported at Keylong village, which blocked the Leh-Manali highway. The BRO is engaged in clearing the stretch. The mobile network and electricity supply has also been affected in the district.
The Kullu-Manali highway is closed at multiple spots due to landslides. Earlier, the district authorities rescued 80 people stranded at Chitkul in Kinnaur after Sunday’s incident of shooting stones that claimed nine lives.
According to the state emergency operation centre, a flashflood was reported in Udaipur’s Changut village and Udgos Nullah at 6pm on Tuesday, washing away an old house and damaging a Bailey bridge. A tractor was also washed away and loss to farmland has been reported. People residing on the banks of the rivulet have been shifted to safer places.
Another flashflood was reported in Mooring Nullah in Udaipur that stalled traffic on state highway number 26. A flash flood occurred at Hukka Nullah of Rakchham in Sangla in Kinnaur district but no major loss to property was reported.
In Shimla town, a landslide occurred near Tenzin Hospital, damaging a car.
Meanwhile, DGP Sanjay Kundu said heavy rains are lashing the state leading to landslides, rockslides, flashfloods, washing away of roads and bridges and public as well as tourists are advised to avoid unessential travel.
