Punjab Newsline, Himachal Pradesh, August 1-
At least two persons died and 52 are missing following multiple cloudbursts in Himachal’s Shimla, Mandi and Kullu districts during the past 24 hours, following torrential overnight rains that have left rivers in a spate.
CM Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who is personally monitoring the situation in Shimla, said, “So far two dead bodies have been recovered while 52 people are still missing and search operations were underway, and all resources have been pressed into action. We have sought help from the Army and Air Force. The State has suffered a huge loss.”
A cloudburst at Samesh village in Rampur (Shimla) left two people dead and 28 others missing. Two people have been rescued from the spot. Another cloudburst near Tikkan Thalukot village in Mandi district on Wednesday night left one person dead and nine others missing.
Reports of houses being damaged in Bhagipul in Kullu have also poured in and an alert has been issued in the Bhuntar area of Kullu as the swollen Parvati River and Malana Khud were flooded, damaging Malana I and Malana II hydropower projects.