CHANDIGARH: Two officials of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) died during rescue and relief operations after flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh. In addition, three trekkers have gone missing.
The BRO lost an engineer and project officer after heavy rainfall in the hill state. The Manali-Sarchu road in the Lahaul and Spiti valley, which was closed for traffic due to multiple landslides, was being cleared by the BRO on Thursday. The BRO team cleared the landslides near Kenlung Sarani at an altitude of 14,480 feet but Naik Reetesh Kumar Pal, who was part of the rescue team, lost his life.
The BRO tweeted: “The JCB driven by Nk Reetesh while clearing the debris on the dangerous stretch of road came under sudden avalanche and got drifted away... Unmindful of his own safety Nk Reetesh kept clearing the road to provide relief to stranded civilians who were facing great difficulties due to inclement weather and lack of oxygen.”
On July 27, Junior Engineer Rahul Kumar was among six civilians washed away by flash floods. The others were rescued by the BRO. The state is unlikely to get any respite from bad weather in the coming days as the meteorological department has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for heavy rains till August 3. Some 70 people are still stranded in Lahaul-Spiti.
Rains bring down MP jail barracks, 22 hurt
Prolonged rains triggered the collapse of a wall of Barracks No.7 and subsequently the whole structure in 62-year-old Bhind District Jail in Madhya Pradesh, injuring 22 inmates. Only 1 of the wounded is in a serious condition. Four MP districts are on red alert for heavy rains.