Shimla, Jul 29 (PTI) Flash floods triggered by a cloudburst wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi town, killing three members of a family, burying more than 20 vehicles and inundating several houses, officials said on Tuesday.
Mandi has received 202.6 mm of rain since Monday evening. Sukati nullahs (drains) flowing through the city swept huge mounds of debris in several areas. Jail Road, Saini Mohalla and the zonal hospital area were the worst hit.
“Three people died, one was injured and one woman is missing in the flash floods,” Mandi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Apoorv Devgan told PTI.
Rescue operations are in full swing and about 15-20 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The deceased were identified as Balbir Singh, Amarpreet Singh and his mother Sapna. A woman and her son were injured and have been admitted to the zonal hospital, the official said.
A relief camp has been set up at Vipasha Sadan as several houses have been damaged. Some people have taken shelter at homes of their friends and relatives, he said.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and home guard are carrying out rescue operations. Teams of departments of public works, electricity and Jal Shakti are also working to clear roads and restore power supply, Devgan said.
According to officials, extensive damage has been caused to houses and vehicles, and a detailed assessment of losses is underway.
Schools, colleges and anganwadi centres were closed on Tuesday in Mandi Sadar subdivision due to the closure of several roads, the officials said.
Videos of debris scattered around residential colonies, buried vehicles, gushing waters entering houses and rescue operations went viral on social media.
A total of 358 roads, including 259 roads and one national highway in the disaster-hit Mandi district, 182 power distribution transformers and 179 water supply schemes have been affected across the state, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (21) has been washed away at 4 Mile, 9 Mile and Dwada between Mandi and Kullu.
The cloudburst in Mandi came a month after 15 people were killed in the district in rain-related incidents on the intervening night of June 30-July 1.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the loss of lives in Mandi and said that the district administration has been directed to provide all possible assistance to the affected families, an official statement issued here said.
Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur said Mandi has witnessed massive devastation this year due to rain.
Moderate to very heavy rain lashed several parts of the state, with Mandi receiving 202.6 mm of rainfall since Monday evening. Pandoh has received 124 mm of rainfall, Kataula 89.1 mm, Una 74.4 mm, Dehra Gopipur 74 mm, Berthin 72.4 mm, Nadaun 72 mm, Gohar and Sujanpur Tira 66 mm each, Kahu 59.4 mm, Raipur Maidan 55.6 mm, Neri 54.5 mm, Malraon 52 mm and Amb 50 mm.
The authorities have warned people against going near the Beas river and its tributaries as they are flowing above the danger mark.
The local meteorological centre had issued an ‘orange’ alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts on Tuesday.
It has also issued a ‘yellow’ alert, warning of heavy rain at isolated places in Chamba, Shimla and Sirmaur districts on Tuesday, and Una, Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts on Wednesday.
Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,539 crore. So far, 94 people have died and 36 have gone missing in rain-related incidents and 1,352 houses have been fully or partially damaged, according to the SEOC. PTI BPL DIV DIV
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