Himachal Pradesh: 13 dead as cloudburst hits near Samej Bridge
What's the story
A deadly cloudburst struck near the Samej and Bagi bridges in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night, resulting in the death of 13 people.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been conducting rescue operations in the affected areas.
According to Baljinder Singh, Commandant of the 14th Battalion of the NDRF, four bodies were recovered earlier while 10 more people are still missing.
Rescue operations
'Huge disaster,' says NDRF commandant
Singh mentioned that the NDRF teams were dispatched promptly to Himachal Pradesh this year to ensure a swift response.
Describing the Samej cloudburst as a "huge disaster," he confirmed that nine bodies have been found so far, with one person still unaccounted for.
He assured that the rescue operations would continue until all missing individuals are located.
Weather update
IMD reports significant rainfall across Himachal Pradesh
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported considerable rainfall across Himachal Pradesh.
According to Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD Himachal Pradesh, alerts were issued for various regions on Wednesday.
"We have recorded the highest rainfall at Joginder Nagar in Mandi district at 110mm during the past 24 hours," he said.
The IMD has also issued an orange alert for several lower Himalayan districts.
Recent incidents
Recent cloudbursts in Himachal
Earlier this month, a series of cloudbursts occurred in various parts of Himachal Pradesh, causing widespread damage.
The NDRF retrieved two more bodies from the Sunni tehsil in Shimla district, bringing the death toll to 15, with over 40 people still missing.
The worst-hit area was Samej village, where over 30 people are missing.
DNA samples of 37 relatives of the missing persons have been collected for identification.
Road closures
IMD issues low flash flood alert for several districts
The IMD has issued a low flash flood alert for Kangra, Sirmaur, Shimla, Chamba, and Mandi districts due to expected rainfall in the next 24 hours.
Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have led to the closure of 87 roads in different parts of Himachal Pradesh.
However, traffic has been restored on the Manali-Leh highway after it was cleared of debris following a flash flood on Monday.