Four feared dead, nine missing in Himachal Pradesh flash floods
(Sourced from PTI)
At least four people are feared dead and nine reported missing in flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, a senior disaster management official said on Wednesday. State Disaster Management director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said two people are feared dead in Kullu district and one person is feared dead in Chamba. One person was killed and nine are missing in Lahaul-Spiti.
In Kullu, a 25-year-old woman and her four-year-old son were washed away in Brahamganga, a tributary of the Parvati river, near Manikaran around 6:15 am on Wednesday due to a sudden surge in the water level. In Udaipur in Lahaul, two tents of laborers and a private JCB were washed away in the flash floods triggered by a cloudburst around 8 pm on Tuesday.
While one laborer was killed, another was injured. The injured labourer has been identified as Mohammad Altaaf (19) from Jammu and Kashmir, he said. At least nine labourers are still missing, he added.
The state police and the ITBP teams were dispatched to search for missing people but a heavy flow of water hampered the search operation on Tuesday night, Mokhta said. The search operation resumed on Wednesday morning. In Chamba, a JCB helper was washed away in the flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Chaned tehsil on the Chamba-Pathankot road.
A search operation is being carried out by the police and fire brigade teams. Several roads have been blocked and around 60 vehicles are stuck as multiple landslides and flash floods occurred in parts of Lahaul-Spiti. A landslide near Kirting village on state highway number 26 (SKTT) in Lahaul has led to a road blockade. A JCB has been sent for its restoration.
Meanwhile, heavy rains continue to lash various parts of the state of Himachal Pradesh with the Shimla meteorological center issuing a red weather warning. Earlier on Tuesday, several people were evacuated from Lahaul-Spiti's Darcha village after the water level rose in the Bhaga river following a heavy spell of rain, Mokhta said.
According to the Darcha police check-post, the water level in the river increased considerably due to the heavy rainfall, damaging three shops near the river bank. People living near low-lying areas have been safely evacuated by the police, the official added.
