Bansri Shah, Pune
On August 1, Thursday, several districts in Himachal Pradesh, including Mandi, Shimla, and Kullu, experienced cloudbursts, resulting in eight deaths and more than 50 people missing. A red alert has been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Himachal Pradesh as the region braces for more rains over the weekend.
Rescue operations are underway with teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police and local administration being deployed. According to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Union Minister has promised additional NDRF units to be sent out.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, stated that rescue and relief operations are in full swing and that he plans to visit the site where several people are missing. He emphasized that the pace of rescue efforts could improve with better weather conditions, as recovering bodies currently depends on sunlight. He has also urged tourists to avoid going near waterfalls and rivers during this time.
As of now, officials are employing drones to keep track of missing persons.
The Indian Army has established a base at Jhakeri and is working with the state government to coordinate search and rescue. They have positioned three columns with 125 personnel, one Engineer Task Force as well as one Medical Team at the site of the cloudburst in Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh. Officials have rescued over 30 people at different sites across the affected areas.
Apart from the loss of human life, approximately 20 houses have been entirely swept away and buried beneath boulders and debris. Landslides have blocked both state and national highways, with several sections of the Manali-Chandigarh Highway suffering damage.
Heavy rains have also been afflicting its neighboring state of Uttarakhand and has claimed over a dozen lives since Thursday. The Kedarnath Yatra has been halted for the next three days due to road damage. Around 2000 people have been rescued along the Yatra route with more than 1000 still stranded.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be keeping a close eye on the situation developing in Himachal Pradesh and has asked his top officials to make sure assistance is provided to rescue efforts. Kangana Ranaut, the MP from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) of Mandi, has assured Centre-allocated relief funds will be provided to the state.