Saving valuable human lives is the top priority, says Himachal CM Sukhu on cloudbursts in several places

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): In the wake of heavy rains and cloudbursts in the state of Himachal Pradesh, the Indian Army, state administration, fire services, NDRF, and SDRF have deployed teams to carry out rescue operations.

As many as eight teams from different departments are coordinating to conduct rescue operations in the state. Bailey Bridges have been built to reduce the inconvenience faced by the affected people.

Notably, River Beas flows furiously in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu as the state continues to receive heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, Himachal CM Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu convened an emergency meeting of senior officers of the state government to review the situation that had arisen due to five cloud bursts and heavy rains in different parts of the state.

According to reports reaching the state headquarters, three cloud bursts struck the Kullu district and one each in Mandi and Shimla districts. The CM said that two bodies had been retrieved, while more than 50 people were still missing. He said that five roads and one national highway had also been blocked and three bridges had been damaged during the last 12 hours due to a cloudburst and heavy rains.

The Chief Minister said that the most affected site was the Samej area of Jhakri in Shimla district, where a residential area had also been affected due to a cloudburst and around 36 people were missing, whereas one road had also been blocked. In Mandi district, the cloudburst occurred near Tikkan Thalukot village in Padhar tehsil, where about seven people were reported missing and two bodies had been retrieved, while three houses were also damaged.

CM Sukhu said, "Saving valuable human lives is the top priority at the moment and all government machinery will focus on this task." He directed the district administrations to provide immediate relief to the affected families and construct Bailey Bridges so that people in the affected areas did not face any inconvenience.

He said that the state government would also make available five transport drones to enable the police to carry out transportation activities in the affected areas. The satellite phone was also being provided at the SDM level so that the communication system could be strengthened. He said that 50 generators would also be supplied to police stations and police posts to ensure power backup. The state government would make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of life and property for the people.

The Chief Minister said that state emergency operation centres had also been set up at 13 places in the state for disaster monitoring and these would be operational round-the-clock.

The Indian Metrological Department has issued heavy rain and flooding alerts during the next 24 hours in the state of Himachal Pradesh. An orange alert has been issued in four to five districts of the state.

Dr. Kuldeep Shrivastava, head of the IMD Himachal Pradesh, reported that the region has experienced significant weather events over the past 24 hours. Heavy rainfall has been recorded in the Kullu and Chamba districts, with totals reaching around 20 cm. Additionally, intense rainfall activity has been observed in the Kangra district. The monsoon has advanced into Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, accompanied by a cyclone formation in the region.

Heavy rainfall is expected to continue in the districts of Kullu, Chamba, and Kangra tonight. Other parts of the state, including Mandi and the Kangra-Chamba region, will see moderate rainfall over the next 24 hours.