Flash flood, landslides in Himachal: 15 missing in Mandi, two bodies recovered
Mandi/Chamba (Himachal Pradesh), August 20: At least 15 people are missing and two bodies have been recovered after flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district in separate incidents, officials informed on Saturday.
In one incident at Shegli village, a house was washed away along with six members of the family. The body of a child has been recovered, while five people are still missing, officials added.
Meanwhile, in a flash flood incident at Kashang village under the Gohar subdivision in Mandi, a house collapsed and nine members of a family are missing.
Flash flood was also reported at Kevli village in Seraj area, where a body was recovered and two others were rescued.
Meanwhile, heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district triggered a landslide on Saturday. At least three persons are missing after a house collapsed during the landslide in the district.
The incident occurred at around 4:30 am at village Banet, in Chowari tehsil of the district, officials of the Chamba district emergency operation centre (DEOC) informed.
The authorities have initiated a search operation with the help of personnel from the police and revenue department, according to DEOC officials.
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Meanwhile, in Mandi, a flash flood occurred in the early hours on Saturday, causing water to enter houses and shops, trapping residents and damaging vehicles parked on the road.
The incident hit places at Balh, Sadar, Thunag, Mandi and Lamathach in the district, according to a bulletin by the Himachal Pradesh-State Emergency Response Support System.
In the meantime, Ashutosh Garg, Kullu Deputy Commissioner, directed that all schools, both government and private, as well as Anganwadi Centers, be closed throughout the district due to the ongoing rain.
"In view of incessant rains in Mandi for the past two days and the weather forecast of heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, it has been decided that all the government and private educational institutions except colleges and ITI in Mandi district shall remain closed on August 20," district deputy commissioner Arindam Chaudhary informed in an order issued on Friday evening.
Earlier on Friday, a cloudburst and a landslide were reported in Mandi.
"We were intimated about a cloudburst situation from Segli in Mandi last night. By the time we reached, a huge landslide also occurred. The PWD is helping with opening up of the road and a team from the NDRF is moving to the spot to coordinate," Mandi Deputy Commissioner, Arindam Chaudhary stated.
Heavy rains have been lashing the state and several roads have been blocked.
"Many areas of Mandi received rain overnight; we started receiving calls of roads getting blocked and other related concerns since 1:30 am. Many individual incidents were resolved. Police are on the job. The NDRF was contacted at around 2:30 am and their mobilisation has been done," the Mandi DC added.
Also Read | Cloudburst hits Uttarakhand's Dehradun, SDRF swings into action
-PTC News
