Himachal weather: Another 3-day heavy-rain alert from July 4; Mandi cloudbursts toll rises to 10, 34 missing

The death toll from cloudbursts and flash flood-related incidents in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh has risen to 10 with the recovery of five additional bodies.

The search for 34 missing people is underway, officials said on Wednesday.

The state witnessed 11 cloudburst incidents, four flash floods and a major landslide on Tuesday, most of which occurred in Mandi district, disrupting normal life.

Cloudbursts were reported at four locations in Gohar, three in Karsog, two in Dharampur, and one in Thunag, Mandi.

Two bodies were recovered in Siyanj, Gohar, and one each in Thunag, Dhar Jarol, and Pandeev Sheel areas, officials reported. The identities of the deceased have not yet been disclosed.

282 roads were closed

A total of 282 roads were closed in the state following heavy rains and 1361 transformers and 639 water schemes were disrupted.

These include 182 roads in Mandi district, 37 in Kullu, 33 in Shimla, 12 in Sirmour, six in Chamba, five in Hamirpur, three each in Kangra and Una districts and one road in Solan district.

Also, as many as 1,361 distribution transformer including 633 in Mandi district alone and 639 water supply schemes remain disrupted throughout the state.

Most of the damage was caused in Mandi where 182 roads were blocked for vehicular movement and 633 transformers and 465 water schemes were affected as of Wednesday morning, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Additionally, 24 houses, 12 cattle sheds, one bridge and several roads were damaged, 30 cattle perished in the tragedies while a total of 370 people, including 316 in Mandi, have been rescued and 11 were still stranded, the SEOC added.

Two teams each from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with police and home guards, are actively engaged in search and rescue operations in the district.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall continues in several regions of the state. The Met Office has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas across the state from Friday to Sunday.

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