Massive Rain Disaster in Himachal:  As soon as the monsoon knocked in Himachal Pradesh, it has started showing its fierce form. Torrential rains and cloudbursts in Kullu, Mandi and Kangra have disrupted life. After Kullu, now in Kangra also 15 to 20 workers were swept away due to flash flood in a ravine near a hydro project. So far the bodies of two workers have been recovered, while the search for others is on.

Tragedy in Dharamshala Kangra:

According to the information, in this tragic incident that took place near Lungta Power Project in Dharamshala, the workers were living in a temporary shed built on the banks of the ravine. An eyewitness worker told that suddenly the flood water rose so much that no one got a chance to recover. He himself works as a welder in the project. A laborer, Parvez Mohammad, told that suddenly the water in the ravine rose so much that the people living in the shed were swept away. The death of one laborer has been confirmed in this accident and a car was also swept away.

This accident happened due to sudden flow of water in Manuni Khad at Indira Priyadarshini Hydraulic Project, Sokni Da Kot (Khaniara) of Dharamshala at around 1 pm. A laborer told that the weather was clear, but there was a sudden flood.

Obstacles in rescue work:

Two people have died in this accident. The body of one person came down flowing from Manuni Khad, while the other body was found on the number two face of the project. Relief and rescue teams are present on the spot, which includes police force and SDRF teams. However, due to the broken road, there is a lot of difficulty in reaching the spot, due to which rescue work is also getting delayed.

The district administration has started relief and rescue work immediately after receiving information about the incident. SDRF and local police teams are continuously present on the spot. One body has been recovered from Lunta area, while the other body has been found by the local people near the ravine near Naguni.

Orange alert and widespread devastation in the state:

The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy rains in the state. On Wednesday, the weather hit different districts of the state. There are reports of cloudburst in four different places in Kullu district – Jiwanala in Sainj, Shilagarh in Gadsa, Snow Gallery in Manali and Hornagad in Banjar. Apart from this, cloudburst in Manuni Khad of Khaniyara in Dharamshala has also caused heavy destruction.

This natural disaster in Kullu swept away eight vehicles, 10 culverts and an electricity project. There is also information about three people being swept away due to cloudburst in Raila Bihal of Sainj.

Tourists also stranded:

More than 150 tourist vehicles are stranded in Shanshar, Shangarh and Suchaihan Panchayat areas of Sainj Valley, in which an estimated more than 2,000 tourists are aboard. The road cut near Siund has blocked the way out of the area. About 25 tourists are also feared to be stranded in Lahaul.

Administration’s readiness:

After the cloudburst and flood in Kullu, the district administration has immediately sent teams for relief and rescue. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kullu Ashwani Kumar said that NDRF teams are engaged in rescue and relief work on the spot. At the same time, Deputy Commissioner Kangra Hemraj Bairwa said that he cannot confirm the cloudburst yet, but the water level in the ravine is very high. He said that so far two bodies have been recovered and SDM has been sent to the spot.