Himachal rain fury: IAF choppers evacuate 524 Manimahesh pilgrims; CM Sukhu visits flood-hit Mandi, Kullu

India Air Force helicopters on Friday lifted 524 pilgrims stranded on Manimahesh route, officials said. The helicopters also carried three bodies.

Since heavy rain last month, a large number of pilgrims have been stranded in different parts of Chamba district, especially in Bharmaur, which has lost road connectivity after several landslides and flash floods.

“Today, 524 passengers were airlifted from Bharmaur in 12 sorties of Air Force Chinook helicopter. Three mortal remains were also brought from Bharmaur to Chamba,” a statement said.

In all, 1,166 pilgrims have been airlifted from Bharmaur to Chamba since Thursday, it said.

Seventeen pilgrims have died since the start of Manimahesh Yatra on August 15, according to the government. The Manimahesh Lake is situated at an altitude of 13,000 feet at the foot of the Kailash mountain.

Himachal Pradesh has been battling floods following heavy rain and landslides in many areas since August.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit areas of Mandi and Kullu and interacted with affected families. He said that the state has prepared a Rs 3,000 crore relief and rebuilding project and will seek assistance from the World Bank.

Sukhu inspected damaged properties at Vashisth Chowk, and in Manali, Bahang, and Old Manali areas. He also visited the landslide-hit Akhara Bazaar area in Kullu where a few deaths happened in house collapses.

Fourteen families were evacuated from Banali village in Naina Devi Assembly constituency after their houses developed cracks following a landslide on Wednesday.

A total of 1,091 roads are closed in the state, of them 276 were blocked in Mandi, 226 in Kullu, 201 are in Shimla and 166 in Chamba district, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said.

National Highway-3 (Mandi-Dharampur road), NH-5 (Old Hindustan-Tibet road), NH-305 (Aut-Sainj road) and NH-505 (Khab to Gramphu) were closed.

Trains plying on the Shimla-Kalka track had earlier been cancelled till Friday, following landslips on the track.

Baggi in Mandi district has received 61.3 mm of rain, the highest in the state, since Thursday evening. Dhaulakuan has received 24.5 mm of rain, Karsog, 24.2 mm, Buntar, 16 mm, Jot 14.2, mm, Gohar, Rampur and Manali, 13 mm each, Naina Devi, 12.8 mm, and Jogindernagar, 10 mm.

The local Met office has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain in Una and Sirmaur districts on Monday and Bilapsur, Kangra, and Solan districts on Tuesday.

Since the onset of monsoon in Himachal on June 20, the state has witnessed 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts and 133 major landslide incidents.

At least 360 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, while 47 are missing since monsoon began.

Rains have also disrupted 2,838 power transformers and 509 water supply schemes across the state, the SEOC said on Friday evening.

The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3,979 crore this monsoon so far, according to official data.