Himachal: Toll in Mandi cloudbursts rises to 11, search on for 34 missing people

Shimla: The death toll in cloudbursts and flash flood-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district has risen to 11 with the recovery of six more bodies, while the search for 34 missing people was underway, officials said on Wednesday.

The search operation might get hampered with the weather department issuing a warning of low to moderate flash-flood risk in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on Thursday.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who visited the disaster-hit Syathi village in Dharampur, announced a special relief package to assist in rebuilding damaged homes.

Additionally, enhanced compensation will be provided for lost livestock and destroyed cow shelters.

The state witnessed 11 cloudburst incidents, four flash floods and a major landslide on Tuesday, most of which occurred in the Mandi district. Cloudbursts were recorded at four locations in Gohar, three in Karsog, two in Dharampur, and one in Thunag.

Officials on Wednesday said two bodies were recovered from Siyanj village in Gohar, and one each in Thunag, Dhar Jarol, and Pandeev Sheel areas, while another body was found at Neri-Kotla in Jogindernagar.

On Tuesday, two deaths were recorded in Bada and one in Talwara, both in Gohar; one person died in Old Bazaar, Karsog; and another body was recovered at Neri-Kotla in Jogindernagar.

A total of 245 roads were closed in the state following heavy rains, and 918 transformers were disrupted.

Most of the damage was caused in Mandi, where 151 roads were blocked for vehicular movement and 489 transformers and 465 water schemes were affected as of Wednesday evening, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Additionally, 148 houses, 104 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, 14 bridges and several roads were damaged. A total of 162 cattle perished in the calamities, while 370 people, including 316 in Mandi, were rescued, the SEOC said.

Eleven people still remain stranded, it added.

Sukhu, who inspected the damage caused to the Mandi-Kotli road, assured locals that if any government land is available nearby, it will be allotted to those who lost their homes. "In case the land falls under forests, the matter will be taken up with the Union Government," he added.

Distraught locals recounted their narrow escape after an entire village was swept away suddenly. They also informed the chief minister that they did not even have land left to pitch tents for shelter.

Later, Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of the disaster-affected areas of Thunag and Janjehli in the Mandi district and distributed relief material to the affected people at the Rain-Gallu helipad in Thunag.

Expressing shock at such an incident had never occurred before, even when eight to 10 cloudbursts happened in a night, the chief minister called for an in-depth study to ascertain the reasons for landslides even at places having solid strata.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, who also visited the affected area in his assembly constituency of Seraj, warned that the number of missing people could increase due to disrupted connectivity in the region.

He also called for rations to be air-dropped in areas where roads have been damaged.

The Jal Shakti Department reported damage to 3,698 schemes, including 2,786 drinking water supply schemes, 733 irrigation schemes, and 41 sewerage schemes.

The estimated damage has surpassed Rs 240 crore, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the Jal Shakti portfolio, said.

He noted that restoration efforts are being conducted on a war footing, prioritising the resumption of drinking water and sewerage services.

The deputy chief minister said that 1,591 drinking water supply schemes have already been temporarily restored.

Two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), alongside police and home guards, are actively engaged in search and rescue operations in the district.

Light to moderate rain continued in several regions of the state.

Kasauli received 55 mm of rain since Tuesday evening, followed by Baggi 54.8 mm, Dharampur 38.8 mm, Mandi 36.8 mm, Sarahan 32 mm, Solan 27.4 mm, Pandoh 27 mm, Jubbarhatti 26.2 mm, and Shimla 24.2 mm.

The meteorological office has issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas across the state from Friday to Sunday.

Narkanda was the coldest at night with a low of 13.4 degrees Celsius, while Una saw a significant rise in maximum temperature, reaching 36.2 degrees Celsius.