NH5 blocked in Kinnaur; rain to continue till Aug 11

The National Highway 05 has been blocked in Kinnaur district due to a flash flood triggered by cloudburst. The cloudburst occurred in Raldang Khad near Ribba village in Pooh block of the district, leading to the rise in the water levels in the khad. As a result of the flash flood, muck and large boulders were deposited on at least 150 meters stretch, blocking traffic movement. However, no loss of life was reported in the incident. The district administration, BRO and district police officials reached the spot and initiated steps to clear the road.

Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, said that the restoration work was going on and the road would be cleared soon. He appealed to the people to be cautious and to refrain from unnecessary travel in case of heavy rainfall.

Also, a road in Jakhu locality in Shimla was blocked after a huge tree along with debris fell on the road following heavy rainfall. As a result, the road was blocked for a few hours. The restoration team reached the spot as it received the information and cleared the road.

As per the state’s Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall at isolated places and light to moderate rain at most places are likely to continue across the state till August 11. The department has issued a yellow weather warning for various districts till August 11, resulting in heavy rainfall in isolated areas.

Meanwhile, the state experienced very heavy to heavy rain at isolated places and light to moderate rain at most places during the past 24 hours. The highest rainfall in the state was recorded in Mandi, which received 151.2 mm rain, followed by Sundernagar 84.1 mm. Nadaun in Hamirpur district received 80 mm, Palampur 55.8 mm, Bilaspur 30.8 mm, Manali 29.2 mm, Kangra 23.2 mm, Narkanda 22 mm, Shimla 20.4 mm, Dharamsala 10.7 mm and Una 10.6 mm.