2 killed, over 50 missing after cloudburst incidents in Himachal Pradesh
19 people went missing in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district after a cloudburst, officials said.
Two persons have died and more than 50 are missing after cloudburst incidents in Himachal Pradesh, prompting a major search and rescue operation.
A cloudburst occurred late last night in the Samej Khad area of Rampur in Shimla district, causing sudden and severe flooding.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, police and home guards started rescue operations, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap said.
Drones are also being used to locate the missing people, he added.
Chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu held a meeting to take stock of the situation.
“The cloudburst incident took place around 4:40 am... Around 50 people are missing. 2 bodies have been recovered. Heavy rain is expected in the next 36 hours. DC, SDRF NDRF teams have reached the spot. I have also spoken to the Union Home Minister,” said told ANI.
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Another cloudburst was reported in Thaltukhod of the Padhar subdivision in the Mandi district. One body has been recovered from the area and nine people are reported missing, Mandi Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan said.
Several houses have been damaged due to the severe flooding.
District administration and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been dispatched to the affected area.
Union home minister Amit Shah spoke with Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to assess the situation following the cloudburst incidents. He assured the chief minister of providing central assistance and the support of the National Disaster Response Force.
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Union health minister and BJP national president JP Nadda has asked all BJP cadres to work toward the rescue and relief of people hit by the cloudburst in his home state.
“On the sad news of huge losses and disruption of life due to cloudburst in various areas of Himachal Pradesh, Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda spoke to Himachal Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu and assured all possible help from the central government. The BJP President JP Nadda also spoke to former CM and LoP in the Himachal assembly Jairam Thakur and the BJP State President and directed all BJP workers to engage in relief work,” a statement from the health minister's office said.
Jairam Thakur said: “It is bad news for Himachal that in the last rains there were huge losses and again reports of damages are coming this year too. I just had a talk with the CM, and he shared everything in detail. There are reports that 50 people are missing.”
“There are also reports of damage to the Malana (First) (hydro power project) in Kullu district. There are large scale damages in Mandi district as well. I told the CM that currently we should focus on the rescue operations,” he added.
Meanwhile, scary visuals from various parts of Himachal Pradesh have surfaced, showing the swollen Beas River as it surges through valleys and towns.