At least nine people were killed and seven reported missing following flash floods at two places in Himachal Pradesh in the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday.
Seven were washed away in a flash flood in the Tozing rivulet in Udaipur subdivision in Lahaul-Spiti district, some 15 km from district headquarters Keylong, after a cloudburst.
Two people were killed in Chamba district. Special Secretary, State Disaster Management Authority, Sudesh Mokhta told the media that the search operation has been on to trace three missing from the flash flood in Lahaul-Spiti. Two have been rescued.
In Kullu district, four people, including a Delhi tourist, have drowned in the swollen Parvati river in Manikaran. Reports say traffic on the Manali-Leh highway was also hampered owing to massive landslides. Several vehicles, including tourists, have been stuck on the highway.
The Mandi-Kullu-Manali national highway was also disrupted from Chandigarh due to landslides at several places ahead of Mandi town.
Owing to heavy rains, the Border Roads Organisation has closed the Manali-Leh highway and the Manali-Udaipur highway. The tourists and locals have been prohibited from travelling beyond Manali towards Leh via Keylong till further orders.
The government has issued an advisory for tourists and locals to refrain from high mountains, wandering near rivers and other places vulnerable to landslides.
Earlier this week, nine tourists were killed when a massive landslide occurred on the Sangla-Bateseri road in Kinnaur district as they were passing in a vehicle.