With the recovery of three more bodies on Friday, the death toll in cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh has risen to seven while more than 45 people are still missing, officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and Home Guard personnel are trying to trace people who went missing in the wake of devastating floods triggered by a cloudburst at five locations in the state on Wednesday night, officials said.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited the flood-affected areas of Samej, Ghanavi, Bagipul, and Nirmand on Friday morning.
He advised tourists to avoid flood-hit regions and warned against taking selfies near rivers and streams, citing the risk of slipping and potential life-threatening situations.
Local BJP MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was in touch with district officials but she didn’t visit the affected area due to an red-orange alert for rain.
So far, 36 people are reported missing from Shimla district. Most of the missing people are from Samej village, located on a tributary of the Satluj, where six houses were washed away, officials said.
In Rajban village, Chauharghati of Mandi, the collapse of three houses has left five members of three families missing. Five bodies have been recovered so far here, and one injured person has been rescued from the debris.
Two more bodies were recovered in Chauharghati on Friday, identified as Aman and Aryan, both eighth-grade students.
In Bagipul, Kullu, seven people, including five members of a single family, went missing. Two bodies, including that of a woman, have been found, while five remain missing.
Eyewitness Naresh Kumar recalled, “It only took a second, and it was all over.”
Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, S. Torul Ravish reported that 15 families in Samej Khad have been affected, with four houses completely damaged. Three people from the district are missing, and immediate compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh has been provided to affected families.
Schools in Samej Khad have collapsed, and temporary classes will be held in Mahila Mandal and Yuvak Mandal buildings.
Three school students, Radhika, Anjali, and Ritika Koch, from Rampur Samej, have been missing since Wednesday midnight.
