Cloudbursts, landslides wreaking havoc in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Shimla, Dehradun: Cloud bursts are once again causing havoc. Heavy rains are lashing Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Odisha. In all, 31 people lost their lives. Tens of people went missing. Landslides are causing havoc in Himachal Pradesh. Bridges were washed away. Houses were razed to the ground. Rivers are overflowing in Uttarakhand.
Flash floods in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is reeling under flash floods. So far 22 people died in the floods in Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts. Five others went missing. Due to heavy rains on Saturday morning, the 800-metre-long railway bridge built over the Chakki river in Pathankot, connecting Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, collapsed. This bridge between Joginder Nagar and Pathankot was built in 1928 during British rule.
Train traffic on this bridge has been stopped for the last month as cracks appeared on the bridge. Three people lost their lives after landslides collapsed on houses in Chamba district. Five members of the same family were swept away by floods in Mandi. Hamirpur district was also flooded. Chief Minister Jairam Thakur is reviewing the flood situation from time to time. He said that relief measures are being provided on a war footing.
A series of cloud bursts in Uttarakhand
Rivers are flowing dangerously in Uttarakhand with a series of cloud bursts. Bridges in many areas are being swept away by the flood. Four people died and 10 others went missing after houses collapsed in the Tehri district due to heavy rains. River Ganga in Rishikesh is overflowing. The Tapakeshwar Caves were inundated by the floodwaters as the Tans river was flowing furiously.
A bridge over the Song river in the Thano area collapsed due to a cloud burst at Sarketh village in Raipur. Kempty Falls, a tourist destination near Mussoorie, is flowing dangerously. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the flooded areas of Dhami and supervised relief works. It was revealed that the army would seek help if necessary and landslides have disrupted traffic in many areas.