Himachal Pradesh: At least 19 dead, five missing in flash floods, landslides

Shimla, Aug. 20 (PTI): At least 19 people, including eight members of a family, were killed and five others went missing in incidents of landslide, flash flood and cloud burst triggered by heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh in the past 24 hours, State Disaster Management Department Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said on Saturday.

The maximum damage has been reported from Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts, he said, adding that so far 36 weather-related incidents have been reported from the state.

As many as 743 roads, including the Manali-Chandigarh national highway at Mandi and the Shimla-Chandigath highway at Shoghi have been blocked for traffic, he added.

In Mandi alone, 13 persons died and five went missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said.

Bodies of eight members of a family were retrieved from the debris of their house after a four-hour-long search operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and police at Kashan village in Gohar development block, he added. The house collapsed in a landslide.