MANALI
: Nine people were killed and many reported missing following flash floods in Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts of Himachal on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday.
Ten people, including four
Border Roads Organisation
(BRO) employees, were washed away following the flash flood in Tozing nullah in Lahaul on Tuesday night. Seven bodies have been recovered while three are still missing. Four persons, including one tourist from Ghaziabad, were reportedly swept away in the flash flood in Brahmaganga rivulet in Manikaran valley of Kullu. All are still missing. One JCB helper too was washed away in Chamba district and another person fell off a cliff. They were identified as Sunil Kumar and Nikku, residents of Chamba.
According to officials, a cloudburst in Tozing nullah in Lahaul washed away two tents of labourers and three vehicles-- one was a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) JCB trying to pull out the vehicles.
Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Neeraj Kumar, "Two people had sustained injuries and one of them was referred to Kullu hospital. Seven bodies were recovered from the debris. We had sought help from NDRF, while our disaster management, BRO, police and ITBP teams are already engaged in rescue operation."
The deceased have been identified as Mohamed Salim of J&K, Sher Singh, 62, Room Singh, 41, Mehar Chand, 50, Nirath Ram, 42, all from Mandi district. One body is still unidentified while part of a body has been recovered from the debris.
Another cloudburst in Brahmaganga rivulet near Manikaran in Kullu district wreaked havoc on Wednesday early morning, with flood waters entered residential houses.
Kullu superintendent of police Gurdev Chand Sharma said, "Poonam, 26, and her son Nikunj, 4, resident of Brahmganga village near Manikaran and one tourist Vinita, 25, resident of Ghaziabad have been washed away in the flash flood. One Vijender, from Sangana village near Manikaran, who was working in a hydel project, was also reported to be missing."
Heavy rains triggered flashfloods and landslides, blocking a large number of roads in the state. The Manali-Leh highway was blocked in many places. So was Keylong-Kishtwar road,
Chandigarh-Manali
national highway, Mandi-Kullu bypass road and the Manali-Rohtang highway. In Kullu, three vehicles got hit by debris as torrential rains triggered flooding of the local nullah in Loran.
In Lahaul-Spiti district, a major bridge at Jahlma village in Lahaul was washed away and most of the nullahs were in spate. Many roads, including Gramphu-Kaza and Darcha-Shinkula stretches, were blocked due to landslides at multiple places. A landslide at Kirting village trapped nearly 50 vehicles. Another was reported from Hawai Mod on
Tandi-Udaipur
road. Jahalma nullah, Shaks nullah, Changut and Udgos nullah and Mooning nullahs witnessed flash floods that washed away vehicles, roads and agricultural land.
In Kullu, debris flow in Pagal nullah has blocked Aut-Sainj road.
Lahaul-Spiti SP Manav Verma said out of 10 people washed away in Tozing nullah flood, four are BRO employees, two work with
Airtel and four were travelling towards Pangi valley.
In Lahaul-Spiti district, a large number of people, mostly tourists, have been evacuated to safe places.
Himachal is on red alert with the possibility of very heavy rain in mid and low hills. Experts blame the frequent flash floods on climate change and human interference.
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