Over 20 Dead In Himachal Rain, Chief Minister Posts Video Of “7 Swept Away”

New Delhi:

In the third major rain-related tragedy in less than 24 hours in Himachal Pradesh, flash floods have swept away seven people. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shared a video clip from the Sambal village in Mandi district, saying, active rescue, search, and relief operations are currently in progress to address “this dreadful situation”. 21 people have died in the last two days in incidents linked to incessant rainfall in the hill state.

“Disturbing visuals have emerged from Sambhal, Pandoh – District Mandi, where, as reported, seven individuals have been swept away by flash floods today. 

Active rescue, search, and relief operations are currently in progress to address this dreadful situation,” he tweeted.

Disturbing visuals have emerged from Sambhal, Pandoh – District Mandi, where, as reported, seven individuals have been swept away by flash floods today.

Active rescue, search, and relief operations are currently in progress to address this dreadful situation. pic.twitter.com/OLgZGgXNlF

— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 14, 2023

The video shows water gushing downhill with great force, and the person behind the camera could be heard repeatedly saying “oh God” in a distressed tone.

Earlier, 16 people were killed in two separate incidents related to heavy rains. Seven people died after a cloudburst incident in the Solan district last night, while nine others were killed in a landslide at a Shiv Temple in Summer Hill area of Shimla city.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has appealed to the people to stay indoors, and avoid going near drains or rivers. In an interview with NDTV, he also asked people to move away from landslide-prone areas, and requested tourists not to visit the state during this crisis.

15 to 20 people were feared buried in two landslides in Shimla city, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told news agency PTI. The other site is in the Fagli area, where several houses were buried under mud and slush.

Six people were rescued after the cloudburst at Mamligh village of Kandaghat subdivision in Solan. Two houses and one cowshed were washed away, news agency ANI reported.

According to the state emergency operation centre, 752 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity.

The heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, and neighbouring Uttarakhand, are due to a fresh spell of Western Disturbance, the Indian Meteorological Department said today.

“The location of the Monsoon trough lies along the foothills of the Himalayas, and hence the South-westerly Arabian Sea monsoonal winds are hitting the Himalayan foothills,” the weather department said.

Himachal Pradesh has been the worst affected state in the country due to the floods and landslides with officials announcing on Sunday a staggering loss of ₹ 7020.28 crore due to the monsoon’s devastating impact.