11 of three families swept away in Mandi; 3 bodies recovered

Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, August 1
Eleven members of three families along with their three houses were swept away in a cloudburst in Rajban village of the remote Chauhar valley in Mandi district around 11 pm yesterday. The victims were sleeping in their houses when the cloudburst took place. So far, three bodies were retrieved from the flashflood-affected area while one critically-injured person was rescued. Seven persons were missing and the teams of the NDRF, SDRF, police and the DDMA were searching for them.
Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan visited the area where the cloudburst occurred to oversee the rescue operation. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Madan Kumar said that three persons were killed and one villager was injured while seven locals went missing in the cloudburst that destroyed three houses and caused widespread damage. Rescue teams were moved to the flood-affected area during the night. A team of doctors was also dispatched to treat injured persons.
The ADM said, “The affected area is inaccessible, making relief efforts challenging. The road to the flood-hit village has been heavily damaged. A search and rescue operation is underway to locate missing villagers”.
According to the villagers, the cloudburst in the area last night devastated the three families. “In view of the rise in the water level of the Beas due to another cloudburst in Malana, residents of low-lying areas in Mandi district have been evacuated. Thirty persons from Raghunath ka Padhar and Badi Gumanu and 15 from Lower Bheul have been relocated to safer areas. Temporary accommodation arrangements have been made at local gurdwaras,” the ADM said.
He said, “To ensure safety amid heavy rains, all government and non-government educational institutions as well as anganwari centres in Padhar, Balichowki and Karsog subdivisions remained closed today. Similar orders have been issued for some other institutions in Mandi Sadar subdivision.”
The ADM said, “The Kiratpur-Manali National Highway, which was closed between Mandi and Pandoh for some time due to a landslide, was reopened for one-way traffic. However, six district roads and 128 rural roads are still blocked due to the adverse weather conditions. Restoration efforts are underway and most of the roads will be operational by tomorrow, if the weather conditions improve.”
“The Air Force is ready to assist with a helicopter but adverse weather conditions hindered aerial operations today” he added.
The deceased have been identified as Chandi Devi (75), Chetri Devi (90) and Sauju Ram (80), all natives of Rajban village while Ram Singh (25) was injured.