CHANDIGARH: At least three people have died and one injured missing in Mandi town of Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rain overnight. More than 20 vehicles have been submerged and around two dozen houses partially damaged; the Chandigarh-Manali national highway, Chandigarh-Dharamsala, Mandi-Pathankot and Shimla-Mataur highways have been blocked.
Sources said that a flash flood struck Mandi district early Tuesday morning. Four members of a family had reportedly come out of their house in the wee hours to shift their vehicle to a safer place, but were swept away in the sudden flood; three have been confirmed dead, while one person suffered a fracture and has been admitted to a local hospital.
The incident occured on Jail Road Tungal colony in Mandi town as Sukati nullah overflowed due to sudden heavy rains and caused widespread destruction.
The water entered several locations in about five-kilometer area besides the Jail Road, Saini Mohalla and Zonal hospital area.
The flashflood washed away dozens of parked vehicles, while muck and debris entered homes and damaged property. Locals were caught off guard by the sudden rise in water levels.
Rescue and relief operations are ongoing; teams of SDRF, volunteers and district administration are engaged in clearing debris and are trying to locate the missing person.
Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, Apoorva Devgan said that rescue operations are in full swing and about 15 to 20 people have been rescued.
"The victims were attempting to move their vehicles to safer locations when they were washed away along with their vehicles. The body of one person was found stuck in an auto-rickshaw," he added.
Devgan said that more than dozen people trapped inside their houses were rescued. "The rescue teams had to break window panes and doors to rescue them as their houses were filled with mud and silt," he said.
The flash floods triggered landslides, blocking the Chandigarh-Manali NH at multiple points, specifically at 4 Miles, 9 Miles near Pandoh and Dwada. Also, the Mandi-Pathankot highway is blocked due to a landslide at the Lavandi Bridge near Jogindernagar. Many other interior roads in the district have also been blocked due to landslides and water-logging. A massive landslide triggered by incessant rains blocked the National Highway near Kangra, cutting off the only main road access to Dharamsala, McLeodganj and surrounding areas. Landslides also blocked the Shimla-Mataur National Highway at Old Kangra Ghat and reports of uprooting of trees and electricity have also poured from several parts of the state.
The Met office had issued an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated areas of Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts on Tuesday. It also issued a yellow warning of heavy rains at isolated places in Chamba, Shimla and Sirmaur districts on Tuesday, and Una, Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts on Wednesday.
Since the start of the monsoon season this year from June 20 till July 28, the hill state has suffered a loss of Rs 1523 crore. So far 90 people have died and 35 have gone missing in rain-related incidents and 1320 houses have been fully or partially damaged in the state.
A total of 200 roads, including 121 in the disaster-hit Mandi district, were closed for vehicular traffic on Monday night. 62 power distribution transformers and 110 water supply schemes have also been affected across the state, as per the State Emergency Operation Centre.
