Himachal Pradesh: Search, rescue ops underway in Samej village after cloudburst in Shimla

Rampur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 5 (ANI): Relief and rescue operations are currently underway in flood-affected Samej village near Rampur in Shimla district following catastrophic cloudbursts in different areas of Himachal Pradesh.

A catastrophic cloudburst recently struck Himachal Pradesh, causing widespread devastation and destroying different areas of the hill station, including Samej village.

On Monday the Lahual Spiti Police said that due to a flash flood near Zinzing Bar on National Highway 3, the road has been blocked. Restoration is ongoing but all traffic is halted at Sarcha and Sarch till the post is cleared.

Earlier on Sunday, the Kullu-Manali Highway, which was washed away in the cloudburst on August 1, opened only one way for traffic movement.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Torul S Ravish told ANI, “The National Highway was the most damaged, but it has been restored for a single lane… Nirmand area faced the most loss. There is an update in Bagipul, that two people are missing… Our missing count has gone up to 11 and one body has been recovered. There are 12 people in total. In Bagipul and nearby areas, 20 bridges have been flown away. The Forest Department has done a temporary restoration…”

Earlier on Saturday, Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh said that around 50 people are feared dead in the affected areas and the official number can only be declared after official confirmation and completion of rescue operations.

Singh also said that the topmost priority of the state government is to retrieve the bodies and restore connectivity in the affected areas of the state as soon as possible. He further informed that the government has announced Rs 50,000 as an immediate relief to the affected families and in future, more compensation will be provided to them.

Furthermore, he conveyed that from NDRF to SDRF, Police and Home Guard personnel, everybody is involved in the rescue operations together.

Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh said, “A cloudburst occurred 2-3 days back over the Shrikhand mountain top. Due to this, areas in Rampur and Kullu have faced massive destruction. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also visited the area. He took stock of the situation and briefed the officials. We have started setting up Bailey bridges at various locations. Police personnel are being deployed at various places. The administration is coordinating with everyone. NDRF, SDRF, State Police, and Home Guard jawans are carrying out rescue operations together.”

Earlier, the Indian Army launched extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to aid the affected communities in Himachal Pradesh’s Samej village.

According to the Indian Army, the road to the incident site was blocked due to a land shift approximately 2.5 kilometres short of the incident site, after which troops moved on foot beyond the blockade.

The Army’s Engineer Task Force (ETF) repaired the road and made it operational on Friday itself.

The equipment was temporarily stuck at the blockade site but reached the incident site later after the road was repaired.

On Friday, the Army also completed the construction of the improvised footbridge, thus facilitating the move of rescue teams towards the far bank of the river and the rescue of civilians stranded on the far bank.