Himachal Pradesh Floods: Atleast 5 dead; IMD issues orange alert in the state
In the Kangra district, three more bodies were found. The number of deaths from cloudbursts and flash floods have now increased to five.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) June 27: Life has been thrown off balance in areas of Himachal Pradesh due to severe rain and cloudbursts. This has resulted in a minimum of five deaths so far. Three more bodies were found in the Kangra district on Thursday. The river in Manuni Khad carried away at least ten employees of the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric Project.
Shalini Agnihotri, the Kangra Superintendent of Police has stated that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police launched search and rescue efforts right away after the flash floods carried away many people.
She said, "Some people were swept away in the flash floods. Yesterday, SDRF, local police, and Himachal Pradesh Home Guard volunteers conducted a search and rescue operation in which 250 people were successfully rescued and two bodies were recovered. Today, NDRF also joined the local police at these spots. Three more bodies were recovered today. Out of the total, four bodies have been identified. Three people are missing. One survivor has been rescued from the forest."
Kullu is also the state's most severely impacted district after Kangra. According to accounts, flash floods have also left five persons missing.
In a huge operation, state and central troops rescued more than 250 people after flash floods struck areas of Dharamshala.
Sukhvinder Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh has ordered all state deputy commissioners to remain vigilant. In the middle of bad weather, he ordered that the officials be available to the public at all times.
The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange signal for severe to very heavy rainfall In five districts of Himachal Pradesh beginning on June 29. Due to the possibility of flash floods and rising water levels, locals and visitors have been advised not to go near rivers or landslide-prone areas.
Senior scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma of IMD's Shimla Centre said that the state had received a lot of rain in the last 24 hours, with Palampur receiving the most at 76 mm and Banjar coming in second at 75 mm.
He said, “Almost all regions in Himachal Pradesh received rainfall during the past 24 hours. People should stay away from rivers and streams; landslide risk remains high."
On June 27, isolated times of rains are anticipated in Kangra, Chamba and Kullu, while mild to moderate showers are predicted to remain. By June 27, Solan, Shimla and Sirmaur are expected to experience an increase in intensity. The rain is expected to return with more intensity on June 29 and 30 especially in Una, Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla and Sirmaur after a small break on June 28.
Authorities have cautioned residents and visitors to stay away from bodies of water and uneven surfaces.
Aadrika Tayal
