Three killed, one missing as flash flood wreaks havoc in Himachal's Mandi

Flash flood triggered by cloud burst wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi town on Monday night, killing three people, burying more than 20 vehicles and inundating several houses, officials said on Tuesday.

Mandi received 198.6 mm of rain since Monday evening. The fury of rain was so intense that gushing waters in Sukati nallahs (drains) flowing through the city swept huge mounds of debris which entered several locations in about five-kilometer radius and the worst affected was Jail Road, Saini Mohalla and Zonal hospital area.

"Three people died, one sustained injuries while one woman is missing, Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Apoorva Devgan told PTI on Tuesday, adding that rescue operations are in full swing and about 15-20 people have been rescued.

A relief camp has been set up at Vipasha Sadan as several houses have been damaged and some people have shifted to safer places and taken shelter at homes of their friends and relatives, he said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and home guard have been pressed into rescue operations, while teams of the Public Works Department, Electricity and the Jal Shakti Department are also on the field to clear roads and restore power supply, the DC added.

Meanwhile, schools, colleges and anganwadi centres were closed on Tuesday in Mandi Sadar subdivision following closure of several roads due to landslides and flash floods, officials said.

Videos of debris scattering all around the residential colonies, buried vehicles, debris and gushing waters entering houses and people engaged in rescue work has gone viral on the internet.

The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway has been closed at 4 Mile, 9 Mile and Dwada as the road stretches have been washed away.

The fresh disaster adding to the woes of the people and the administration came after a month of monsoon mayhem in the Mandi district in which 15 people died in Seraj, Nachan, Dharampur and Karsog Assembly constituencies on the night of June 30-July 1.

Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, local MLA Anil Sharma and DC Mandi were on the spot. Thakur said that this year massive devastation has been caused in Mandi due to heavy rains.

Moderate to very heavy rains lashed several parts of the state, and Mandi received 198.6 mm of rain since Monday evening followed by Pandoh 124 mm, Kataula 89.1 mm, Dehra Gopipur 74 mm, Berthin 72.4 mm, Nadaun and Una 72 mm each, Gohar and Sujanpur Tira 66 mm, Kahu 59.4 mm, Raipur Maidan 55.6 mm, Neri 54.5 mm, Malraon 52 mm and Amb 50 mm.

The administration has warned people not to go near river Beas and its tributaries as they are flowing around the danger mark.

Meanwhile, landslides triggered by incessant rains also blocked the Shimla-Mataur National Highway at Old Kangra Ghat, and reports of uprooting of trees and electricity have also poured from several parts of the state.

The Local Met office had issued an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated areas of Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts on Tuesday.

It also issued yellow warning of heavy rains at isolated places in Chamba, Shimla and Sirmaur districts on Tuesday, and Una, Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts on Wednesday.

Since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 20 till the evening of July 28, Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1523 crore. So far 90 people have died and 35 have gone missing in rain-related incidents and 1320 houses have been fully or partially damaged in the state.

A total of 200 roads, including 121 in the disaster-hit Mandi district, were closed for vehicular traffic on Monday night and 62 power distribution transformers and 110 water supply schemes have also been affected across the state, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

However, the number is likely to go up after the latest update.