Five of a family killed, 3 injured in landslide in Kullu

Shimla, Sep 9 (PTI) Five members of a family, including two children, were killed and three others sustained serious injuries during a landslide in Nirmand area of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, officials said on Tuesday.

With this, the death toll from 23 landslides in the district has climbed to 20, they said.

Two houses were completely damaged when a landslide, triggered by a cloudburst, struck Sharmani village in Ghatu panchayat at around 1.30 am on Monday night, gram panchayat pradhan Bhoga Ram said on Tuesday.

Five members of a family -- Bresti Devi (50), wife of Shiv Ram; her son Chunni Lal (32); daughter-in-law Anju (25), and grandchildren Jagriti (8) and Bhupesh (5) -- were buried under the debris, while Shiv Ram, Dharam Das and his wife Kala Devi sustained critical injuries.

The body of Bresti Devi was recovered early morning, while those of others were recovered during the day, officials said.

The injured were rushed to Nirmand hospital, the pradhan said, adding that the administration was informed about the tragedy and the the villagers have been engaged in search and rescue work since Monday night.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manmohan Singh confirmed to PTI that five people have died in the incident.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri expressed grief over the loss of lives. In a statement, they said the government stands in solidarity with the affected families and promised that all possible assistance would be provided to them.

Relief and rescue operations were being carried out on a war-footing, they said.

A total of 378 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents in Himachal Pradesh since the onset of monsoon on June 20 this year. The state has suffered loss to the tune of Rs 4,156 crore so far.

Of the 378 deaths, 213 were due to rain-related incidents, which include 48 deaths from landslides, 17 from cloudbursts, and 11 from flash floods. Additionally, 40 people are still reported missing, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

As many as 684 roads, including four national highways, were closed for vehicular traffic in the state on Tuesday. Around 1,202 power transformers and 423 water supply schemes were disrupted. A maximum of 216 roads were closed in Mandi and 156 in Kullu district.

While light to moderate rains were witnessed in the state on Tuesday, Kasauli received 75.6 mm rainfall since Monday evening, followed by Sujanpur Tira 42 mm, Nadaun 29.4 mm, Karsog 28 mm, Sarahan 23.5 mm, Dhaulakuan 19 mm, Bhunter 16.4 mm, Dehra Gopipur and Poanta Sahib 13.4 mm each and Dharamshala 13 mm.

Thunderstorms lashed Jubbarhatti in the suburbs of Shimla city, Sundernagar, Bhunter, Kangra, Murari Devi and Palampur, the Met office said.

The Met has issued a yellow warning for heavy rains accompanied with thunderstorms in four districts of Una, Bilaspur, Kangra and Sirmaur on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has announced Rs 5 crore relief for Himachal Pradesh, BJP leader and former Union minister Shanta Kumar said on Tuesday. PTI BPL RUK RUK