At Least 2 Dead, Over 50 Missing After Himachal Pradesh Cloudburst; Amit Shah Assures Central Help

The Union Home Minister assured the Chief Minister of providing central assistance and the support of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reached out to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to evaluate the situation following a severe cloudburst that disrupted Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu districts. Shah assured the Chief Minister of central assistance and the support of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Chief Minister Sukhu conducted a meeting with officials to oversee the search and rescue operations after the cloudburst incident, which left over 50 people missing and resulted in the recovery of two bodies so far. The Chief Minister stated, "We held a meeting here. The cloudburst incident took place around 4:40 a.m. Around 50 people are missing. 2 bodies have been recovered. Heavy rain is expected in the next 36 hours. The DC, SDRF, and NDRF teams have reached the spot. I have also spoken to the Union Home Minister."

Taking to social media platform X, the Chief Minister expressed his sorrow, stating, "Very sad news has been received about more than 50 people missing due to a cloudburst in Rampur tehsil of Shimla, Padhar tehsil of Mandi district and Jaon, Nirmand villages of Kullu. Teams of NDRF, SDRF, Police, Home Guard and Fire Services are engaged in relief, search and rescue operations. The local administration has been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations smoothly. I am in touch with the officials and monitoring the relief and rescue operations. The state government is committed to providing all possible assistance."

बीती रात प्रदेश में कई स्थानों पर बादल फटने की दुखद घटना में 50 से अधिक लोग लापता हैं और 2 लोगों के शव रिकवर किए गए हैं।

NDRF, SDRF, होम गार्ड और फायर सर्विसेज की टीमें राहत, खोज और बचाव कार्य में जुटी हुई हैं। सेना से भी मदद माँगी गई है। स्थानीय प्रशासन द्वारा राहत एवं बचाव… pic.twitter.com/B2XhzD2W31 — Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 1, 2024

Rising Water Levels in Beas River

Heavy rainfall has led to an increased water level in the Beas River. Mandi police reported that during the heavy rainfall, a cloudburst occurred in Village Rajban near Terang, under the jurisdiction of Police Post Tikkan in Police Sub Division Padhar. This event resulted in the complete washout of two houses and partial damage to another.A release from the Mandi district administration highlighted that the increased water levels in the Beas River have caused significant silting, leading to the opening of the Pandoh Dam gates. The administration has cautioned residents to avoid venturing near the river due to the release of water and silt from the dam.