The local Meteorological office has issued a "red alert" of heavy to extremely heavy rains. (File)
Five people were killed and over 45 missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads, officials said on Thursday.
The state emergency operation centre said the cloudbursts took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts.
The local Meteorological office has issued a "red alert" of heavy to extremely heavy rains along with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in three districts of Kangra, Kullu and Mandi on Thursday.
A cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Samej, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs, and as a result, the water in Samej Khud (nallah) in the Rampur subdivision of the Shimla district rose leaving two people dead and about 30 missing, Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.
The rescue operation is challenging as roads have been washed away, Shimla Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap said.
"I heard the sound of gushing waters and came out of the house to find flash floods near my home and immediately rushed to a safe place," said senior citizen Nali Ram, who along with his family members, managed to escape.
"My father-in-law, who was working in a project, has been missing since Wednesday night and I along with other relatives came here to search for him," said Neel Dutt.
Mohan Lal Kaptiya, pradhan of the Sarpara Panchayat under which Samej falls, said that about 29-30 houses, primary health centre and school have been washed away in the flash floods triggered by cloudbursts. However, the administration is assessing the losses, he added.
The Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been damaged at several places due to landslides, an official said.
The Shimla DC and SP said that teams of the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, State Disaster Response Force, police and home guards have started rescue operations and the help of drones is being taken to locate the missing persons.
Another cloudburst in the Rajban village near Terang in the Padhar subdivision of the Mandi district on Wednesday night left three persons dead and seven missing. Two houses were washed away while another was damaged, officials said.
Bodies of Chandi Devi (75), Chaitri Devi (90) and Baijru Ram (80) have been recovered and an injured person (25-year-old Ram Singh) has been rescued in serious condition, the officials added.
A cloudburst also occurred in Kullu district, leaving seven people missing.
"Seven people are missing and about eight-nine houses have been washed away in Bhagipul area of Nirmand block in Kullu district and CISF and special Home Guard (quick response team) have been deputed for search operation to locate the missing persons, Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Torul S Raveesh told the PTI.
She said three people were missing and three-four houses have been damaged in Samej on the border of Shimla district. A breach was also reported in Malana Dam but the situation is under control.
Some people are stuck in the Malana I hydropower project. They are in underground buildings and safe and NDRF and Home Guard teams are making efforts to rescue them, she said adding that the Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been breached at numerous places due to landslides and gushing waters of River Beas.
Sabzi Mandi at Shat in Manikaran was washed away in floods. All educational institutions and schools in the district have been closed for two days, she said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and took stock of the situation arising due to the cloudburst in the state, and assured him of all help from the Centre.
Speaking with reporters after an emergency meeting on the matter, Sukhu said that state emergency operation centres have also been set up at 13 places in the state for disaster monitoring and directed the district administrations to provide immediate relief to the affected families, and construct Bailey bridges.
Five transport drones will be made available to enable the police to carry out transportation activities in the affected areas and 50 generators would be given to the police to ensure power back up.
He urged people to take precautionary measures and avoid going near rivulets and rivers.
"Received the sad news of massive damage due to cloudbursts at different places in HP, had detailed talks on phone with the chief minister regarding continuous natural disasters in the state and assured all possible help from the Modi government", BJP national president J P Nadda posted on X.
Road connectivity has been hampered in the affected areas. Four motorable bridges and footbridges have been washed away and rescue operations are going on in full swing, said the state's Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi.
The Shimla-Junga road was closed due to landslide and reports of vehicles being buried in debris in Rajnagar in the Churah Assembly constituency in Chamba and roads being blocked in the Hamirpur district have also poured in.
Heavy rains have been lashing parts of Himachal Pradesh since Wednesday evening. Palampur with 213 mm of rain was the wettest in the state followed by Chauri (203 mm) and Dharamshala (184.2 mm). The wet spell will continue for the next four-five days in the state, the Met said.
So far since the onset of monsoon on June 27, 73 people have died in rain-related incidents and the state has also suffered losses to the tune of Rs 649 crore, according to the state's Emergency Operation Centre.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)