In a third rain-related tragedy in the last 24 hours in Himachal Pradesh, flash floods swept away seven people at Sambhal near Pandoh in Mandi district.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu himself shared a video clip of the terrific landslide from the Sambal village in Mandi district, saying, active rescue, search, and relief operations are currently in progress to address “this dreadful situation”.
“Disturbing visuals have emerged from Sambhal, Pandoh – District Mandi, where, as reported, seven individuals have been swept away by flash floods today. Active rescue, search, and relief operations are currently in progress to address this dreadful situation,” he tweeted. The individual behind the camera could be heard continuously exclaiming “oh God” in a worried desperate tone as the footage showed water rushing downhill with incredible intensity.
Around 50 people have died in the last two days in incidents linked to incessant rainfall in the hill state.
In the past 24 hours, seven people died after a cloudburst incident in the Solan district last night, while nine others were killed in a landslide at a Shiv Temple in Summer Hill area of Shimla city.
“As of now, nine bodies have been retrieved. The local administration is diligently working to clear the debris in order to rescue individuals who may still be trapped,” the Himachal Pradesh chief minister said in a post on the ‘X’ app (Twitter).
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has appealed people to restrict their movement outdoors and avoid going near drains or rivers. He also asked people to move away from landslide-prone areas.
15 to 20 people were feared buried in two landslides in Shimla city, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told news agency PTI.
Apart from the Shiv temple in Summer Hill area of Shimla, the other site where landslide occurred is in the Fagli area, where several houses were buried under debris.
Disturbing visuals have emerged from Sambhal, Pandoh – District Mandi, where, as reported, seven individuals have been swept away by flash floods today.
Active rescue, search, and relief operations are currently in progress to address this dreadful situation. pic.twitter.com/OLgZGgXNlF
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 14, 2023
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