Death Toll from Himachal Pradesh Cloudburst Reaches 22

Nine bodies have been recovered from Mandi’s Rajbhan village, officials said. The flash floods were reported in various areas including Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj, and Malana; Mandi’s Padhar; and Shimla’s Rampur. The Sarpara Panchayat in Rampur subdivision saw the worst impact, with around 25 people missing in Samej village. In addition to Rajbhan, three bodies were found in Nirmand and Bagipul in Kullu district, and 10 from Samej and surrounding areas in Shimla district.

Six bodies were recovered on Wednesday, with 12 identified so far and DNA samples collected for further identification. The search operations are ongoing in an approximately 85-km stretch. State Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi expressed limited hope of finding more bodies as the already affected area has been thoroughly searched. Family members of the approximately 30 missing individuals are losing hope as the search operations continue amid persistent rain.

Assistant Commanding Officer, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Karam Singh, mentioned that the rescue operations are underway despite the challenging conditions. As the water level rises in the Sutlej River and slides occur in different areas, the soldiers are using various techniques to search for the missing individuals. Family members are praying for the recovery of bodies to perform the last rites. The continuous rain has led to significant difficulty for the rescue teams.

Meanwhile, the local meteorological office issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning in isolated places in the state. BJP MP Kangana Ranaut visited Samej village and other parts of Shimla and Kullu, criticizing the state Congress government’s response. A total of 663 rescuers from various teams are involved in the search and rescue efforts. Between June 27 and August 7, 94 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, with the state incurring losses of Rs 787 crore.