Death toll in flash floods, landslides in Himachal Pradesh reaches 32

India

pti-PTI

Shimla, Aug 22: The death toll in flash floods and landslides triggered by rains in Himachal Pradesh since Friday night has risen to 32, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur informed the state cabinet on Monday.

Six people are still missing while 12 were injured in the calamity, according to an official release.

Charing a meeting of the state cabinet, Thakur expressed grief over the death of 32 people and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.

After visiting the flash flood and landslide-hit areas in the Mandi district, the chief minister announced the state government will provide Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.

Thakur said he has directed the deputy commissioners of the districts affected by rains to act swiftly and restore the damaged roads, and power and water supply.

The union government has been apprised about the situation and a central team would visit the state to assess the loss, the chief minister said.

He told reporters that when heavy rains lashed Kashan in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, village chief Khem Singh sent a message on a WhatsApp group asking people to remain alert.

But the village chief himself and seven other family members were killed in a landslide, Thakur said, adding that Singh’s house would be rebuilt by the administration.

The chief minister said their lives could not be saved although rescue teams had left for the village without wasting any time after getting information about the landslide.

However, it took several hours to reach there as all the roads leading to the village were badly damaged, he said. The chief minister met Singh’s relatives during his visit to Kashan village and expressed his condolences.

Meanwhile, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has written to Thakur, expressing his sadness over the loss of lives and damage to property owing to heavy rains in the state, his office said.

“I offer my condolences to you, to the families who have lost loved ones, and to all those affected by this devastation,” he wrote. “I pray for them. I appreciate that the state government and other agencies are doing their utmost to provide relief to people affected by these calamitous conditions.” “As a token of our solidarity with the people of Himachal Pradesh, our friends and neighbours, the Dalai Lama Trust is making a donation to relief and rescue efforts,” the letter stated.

The chief minister’s home district Mandi was the worst hit where 13 people died and five were feared dead in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall.

In Mandi, six members of a family went missing after a flash flood in Baghi nullah on the Mandi-Katola-Prashar road on Saturday.

While the body of a girl was recovered some distance from her house, five members of her family are feared dead as they were washed away after flash floods. Besides several roads, power transformers and water supply pipes were also damaged.