By Shivani P Menon
Heavy rains that fell overnight caused landslides and floods in Himachal Pradesh, claiming a family of three, including a woman and her eight-month-old child, whose home collapsed when debris from an adjacent cliff buried it in the Mandi district on Tuesday morning. Scores of vehicles, including buses, were washed away, and shops were destroyed.
Officials confirmed that the deceased were identified as 33-year-old Tangu Devi, 33-year-old Kamla Devi, and her son Bhisham, all belonging to Bragta village in the Sundar Nagar subdivision. They added that 58-year-old Darshan Devi and her husband, 65-year-old Khub Ram, were rescued, while another individual remained missing following the heavy rainfall.
The Dharampur bus stand was inundated during the rain, and some of the vehicles, including state-owned roadways buses, were swept away.
Mukesh Agnihotri, Deputy Chief Minister, shared visuals showing the damage to the Jal Shakti Department and the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) office. All employees of the corporation are safe, while officials have reached the spot to take stock of the situation and assess the damage, she said in a Facebook post.
A seasonal stream near Dharampur market in Mandi district rose to dangerous levels, leading to extensive destruction. Heavy rainfall around 1 a.m. compelled residents to abandon their homes in panic. The Sarakghat and Dharampur subdivisions were also hit by intense downpours. Within a short span, the swollen stream turned violent, flooding the Dharampur bus stand. Several HRTC buses stationed there were submerged, and a few were carried away by the powerful currents, as reported by a government officer overseeing the rescue efforts.
A man who had been sleeping in his vehicle near the landslide site said that around 1 a.m., heavy rain was followed by a deafening noise as trees and debris came crashing down, prompting them to quickly move their vehicles.
On Tuesday morning, Circular Road traffic was still suspended, including buses and other vehicles. Folks walked to their destinations, and students were not able to go to school. Traffic started again at 10 am.
The Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate rain at most places in the state today. Although light to moderate rainfall also appears likely at isolated places on September 17 and 18, there will be scattered showers with isolated places getting light to moderate rain from September 19 to 22. Besides, one or two heavy rain spells are also probable at isolated places on Tuesday.
The widespread downpour has led to disruptions in transport and power supply across many parts of the state, with rescue and relief operations ongoing in the worst-affected areas.