Cloudburst wreaks havoc in Shimla village, washes away bridges, crops

Bridges, apple trees and several crops were destroyed at Dhanpal Kanda village in Koot gram panchayat of Rampur subdivision, Shimla, as a result of a flashflood that was triggered by a massive cloudburst.

According to local residents, standing crops and apple saplings were completely destroyed. The floodwaters washed away one major bridge and three smaller ones that connected Koot village to neighbouring areas. The main road to the panchayat headquarters has also been damaged due to landslides. However, the main bridge within Koot remains intact, offering a small relief.

In a separate incident, two electricity poles in Khiuncha village were swept away due to a landslide triggered by the heavy downpour, resulting in a complete power cut in the area.

Ratna Dogra, Panchayat Pradhan of Koot, confirmed that the cloudburst occurred around midnight on July 29. "Thankfully, there has been no loss of life, but the material and infrastructural damage is extensive," he said.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Rampur, Harsh Amrender Singh said that a revenue team would visit the affected site (on Thursday) to assess the damage. He assured that relief and restoration efforts would begin promptly.