Six individuals have perished, and 47 remain unaccounted for following a cloudburst and subsequent flash floods in the Kullu, Mandi, and Shimla areas of Himachal Pradesh. On Friday, the Himachal Pradesh State Emergency Operation Centre issued a situation report detailing the events over the past 36 hours in the affected regions, highlighting the damages and losses during the nights of July 31 and August 1.
Mandi reported the highest number of fatalities with five, followed by Kullu with one, while Shimla has yet to report any casualties. Shimla also leads in missing persons with 33, followed by Kullu with nine and Mandi with six. A total of 55 individuals have been relocated to relief camps, and 25 are stranded. The report indicates that 61 houses were completely destroyed, with 42 partially damaged, predominantly in Kullu.
In response to the disaster, the state government, under the leadership of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, has initiated rescue and relief operations. During a media briefing amidst the rescue efforts, Sukhu underscored the severity of the situation. Upon visiting the impacted areas, Sukhu updated that 49 people were missing and four bodies had been retrieved.
"We will offer all possible assistance and relief to the disaster victims... 49 people are missing and 4 bodies have been recovered... Restoration efforts are in progress," he stated. The District Disaster Management Authority received information about the cloudburst early Thursday morning, which occurred near the hydropower project in Samej Khad in Jhakri, Rampur. Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap confirmed that upon receiving the news, the NDRF team, SDRF team, police, and rescue squad were dispatched to the scene.
