2 killed, three missing in Sirmaur cloudburst

Solan, August 10

Five members of a family went missing after their house came under tonnes of debris and water following a cloudburst at Sirmouri Tal village along the Giri river in Paonta Sahib subdivision of Sirmaur district last night.

The cloudburst led to a sudden increase in the level of water in the Giri and houses located along the river in Malgi panchayat were inundated.

Houses inundated

• The cloudburst led to a sudden rise in Giri water level
• Several houses located along the river in Malgi panchayat were inundated
• Residents and rescuers shifted 50 persons, whose houses were hit, to safer locations
• About 50-70 bigha arable land was washed away
• Sizeable stretch of NH-707 blocked due to debris

Those missing were identified as Kuldeep Singh (63), his wife Jeeto Devi (57), Rajni (31) and her two children Nitesh (10) and Dipika (8). The bodies of Kuldeep Singh and his granddaughter were brought out by afternoon from the debris by a rescue team while a search was underway to locate the other missing persons, said Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta. Heavy rain had been lashing the area since last evening. “The revenue authorities are assessing the loss caused to paddy crop,” said Paonta Sahib Tehsildar Rishab Sharma.