22 Dead, 5 Missing After Flash Floods, Landslides In Himachal Pradesh

Shimla:
At least 22 people, including eight family members, have died and five others are missing in incidents of landslides, flash floods and cloud bursts triggered by heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh in the last 24 hours, Director of Disaster Management Department of the State, Sudesh Kumar Mokhta. he said on Saturday.

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

As many as 743 roads, including the Manali-Chandigarh National Highway in Mandi and the Shimla-Chandigath Highway in Shoghi, have been blocked for traffic, it added.

In Mandi alone, 13 people were killed and five were missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said.

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