Five killed, over 45 missing after Himachal cloudbursts

New Delhi: At least five people were killed and nearly 45 went missing after two separate incidents of cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses and roads and left two hydro power projects damaged, officials said.

The state emergency operation centre said the cloudbursts took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts. Road connectivity has been hampered in the affected areas. Four motorable bridges and footbridges have been washed away and the apple crop has been damaged. Heavy to very heavy rain has been recorded at 20 stations in the state and the rainfall is likely to continue in the state, said meteorological expert Sandeep Sharma. The water level in Beas River has increased due to heavy rains.

Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and assured him of all help from the Centre, including deployment of NDRF teams for rescue and relief operations. Sukhu said emergency operation centres have been set up at 13 places for disaster monitoring.


Officials added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been closely monitoring the situation and has asked top officials to ensure all possible assistance is provided to the affected.

(With inputs from agencies)