Himachal Pradesh was struck by a devastating cloudburst near the Samej and Bagi bridges late Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of at least 13 individuals and extensive damage in the affected area. The cloudburst, which occurred near Shrikhand, led to the washing away of 45 people, prompting an urgent rescue operation.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has mobilized teams to assist in the rescue efforts. Baljinder Singh, Commandant of the 14th Battalion of the NDRF, stated that the teams had been deployed to remote locations in Himachal Pradesh this year to ensure swift response to such disasters. “The Samej cloudburst is a significant disaster, and our teams are working tirelessly to address the situation,” Singh told ANI.
As of Thursday morning, the NDRF has recovered 13 bodies from the disaster site. Singh reported that four bodies were found earlier, with an additional nine recovered subsequently. One person remains missing, and the teams are continuing their efforts to locate them.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier reported heavy rainfall across the state. On August 7, the IMD noted that Joginder Nagar in the Mandi district recorded the highest rainfall of 110 mm over 24 hours. The IMD also issued an orange alert for the lower Himalayan districts, including Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Chamba, and Mandi.
Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD Himachal Pradesh, mentioned that significant rainfall was observed in various parts of the state, with most areas receiving between 30 mm to 50 mm of rainfall. “We issued alerts for heavy rainfall in several regions, and the situation in Sirmaur district has been particularly severe,” Srivastava added.
Sources By Agencies
