HP village chief who saved others by alerting, falls victim to landslide

India

pti-PTI

Shimla,
Aug
22:
When
extremely
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
‘pradhan’ himself
and
seven
other
family
members
were
killed
in
a
landslide.
Chief
Minister
Jai
Ram
Thakur
said
this
on
Monday
after
visiting
flash
flood
and
landslide-hit
areas
in
Mandi
district
and
announced
that
Singh’s
house
would
be
reconstructed
by
the
administration.

Twenty-two
people
were
killed,
twelve
injured
and
five
feared
dead
as
they
went
missing
in
36
incidents
of
landslides
and
flash
floods
triggered
by
heavy
rainfall
across
Himachal
Pradesh
on
Saturday.

Thakur
also
announced
that
the
state
government
will
provide
Rs
4
lakh
to
next
of
kin
of
the
deceased
who
lost
their
lives
in
the
landslides
and
flash
floods.
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.

Himachal
Pradesh
CM
Jai
Ram
Thakur
to
visit
flash
flood,
landslide
hit
Mandi
district

However,
it
took
several
hours
to
reach
there
as
all
the
roads
leading
to
the
village
were
badly
damaged,
he
said.
Thakur
met
Singh’s
relatives
during
his
visit
to
Kashan
village
in
and
expressed
his
condolences.
The
CM
said
he
has
directed
the
deputy
commissioners
of
the
districts
affected
by
rains
to
swiftly
act
to
restore
damaged
roads,
power
and
water
supply.
Thakur
said
the
Centre
had
already
been
apprised
about
the
situation
created
by
rains
and
a
central
team
would
visit
the
state
to
assess
the
loss
as
per
norms.

Meanwhile
Tibetan
spiritual
leader
Dalai
Lama
has
written
a
letter
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
said.

The
CM’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.

At
least
50
killed
in
floods,
landslides
in
Himachal
Pradesh,
other
states
in
3
days

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