CHANDIGARH: At least 19 people have died, nine are injured and many are missing after 34 incidents of flash floods and landslides were reported from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, Kangra, Chamba and Shimla districts.The State Disaster Management Department said maximum damage was reported from Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts.
Data available with the government said heavy rains swelled up several rivers and drains leading to house collapses, landslides and cloudbursts. At least 10 people died in Mandi district in eight landslides and two cloudbursts. Around 500 people were evacuated in Kangra district.
At 742 roads have been closed out of which 407 were restored and 268 will be cleared by Sunday, officials said. Heavy rains have affected power supply to 2,000 transformer regions. Water supply to 172 government schemes is disrupted.
The chief secretary has told authorities to close education institutes in the affected areas and provide shelter to the displaced people in schools and community centres.Deputy commissioners have been told to ensure videography of the rain damage.
Mandi district is the worst affected with many people buried in a landslide triggered by heavy rains. Personnel drawn from the National Disaster Response Force and its state wing are helping in a difficult rescue work. At least 32 houses have been severely damaged and 14 of them lie in a danger zone. These houses have been vacated.
A temple of Lord Shiva and a Satsang Bhawan at Kandapatan and HRTC bus stand at Dharampur are submerged. The authorities have also evacuated inmates of partially submerged Rajiv Gandhi Engineering College in Nagorta Bagwan. The students have been taken to safer places as the water entered the building after a flash flood. Many roads are blocked in Kangra as rivers are in spate.
Landslides have blocked the Mandi-Kullu road at Kataula since Friday. The Chandigarh-Manali highway is also blocked. A bridge across Majhiwar and Manju in Sunni was washed away and a landslide near Anandpur blocked Shoghi-Mehli bypass in Shimla.