Himachal weather: The teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued at least 51 people who were stranded in cloudburst incident sites at Shehnu Gouni and Kholanal villages in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.
The Himalayan state has reported widespread destruction and deaths due to heavy rainfall, landslides, and cloudbursts reported from different parts of the state.
Meanwhile, several houses collapsed after a massive landslide struck Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Thursday (August 24). Officials said 2,237 hoses have been fully damaged and 9,924 houses have been damaged partially. They said 300 shops and 4783 cow sheds have been damaged.
Mandi District Administration delivered a consignment of food items and medicines to remote areas of the district with the help of Air Force helicopters.
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Thursday visited landslide-affected areas of Kuklah in Mandi district and urged the state Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to arrange rations for the people living in these areas.
"Keeping in view the huge loss due to heavy rainfall in the state, I have visited my constituency. A two-storeyed school building collapsed today and almost all houses have become unsafe as they have developed cracks. Around six people have lost their lives in one day," Former HP CM said.
Providing all possible help to stranded commuters: Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
With over 800 commuters stranded owing to the blockage of the Chandigarh-Manali national highway, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Thursday said the government was providing all possible help to them.
They have been struck between Mandi and Kullu towns in the wake of torrential rains and landslides that caused road blockades. Chief Minister Sukhu said that the government was making efforts to restore roads and bring normalcy and until then the district administrations have been directed to make adequate arrangements for their board and lodging at no
cost.
The Chief Minister said the national highway between Mandi and Kullu has been severely impacted due to heavy landslides near Pandoh and it would take some time to restore it. The district administration has set up two relief camps along the stretch of Pandoh and Aut in Mandi district offering shelter, food and other essential commodities.
On Wednesday, food packets were distributed to over 800 people in these relief camps whereas an additional 150 individuals were being provided food at the Bajaura relief camp in Kullu. Sukhu said various voluntary organisations, including the Red Cross Society, and local people were also coming forward to distribute food and other essential commodities.
The Chief Minister said the monsoon has wreaked havoc across the state, resulting in huge loss of life and property. He said over 350 people have lost their lives and estimated losses to the state were exceeding Rs 12,000 crore.
(With agencies inputs)
ALSO READ: Weather update: IMD issues heavy rain alert for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
