Heavy rains lash Himachal Pradesh; 3 die in flashflood, 288 roads closed

Shimla, Aug 11 (PTI) Two girls and an 18-year-old woman died while a person went missing after being washed away in a flash flood in Una on Sunday as heavy rains wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh leading to the closure of 288 roads over the past two days.

Water from overflowing streams has entered several houses in Una while the Lahaul and Spiti police have issued an advisory for locals and travellers to exercise extreme caution and not to cross the Jahalman Nallah as its water level is "rapidly" rising, officials said.

According to them, two girls aged four and seven, and an 18-year-old woman died in the flashflood in Una district's Haroli Tehsil while a search is on to trace the missing person.

Deputy Commissioner of Una district Jatin Lal along with other officials of the district administration and police visited the rain-affected areas and appealed to the people to stay away from rivers and rivulets.

Of the 288 roads closed in the state, 138 were closed on Friday and 150 on Saturday.

Seven members of a family, who were stranded near Katasan village in Sirmour district's Paonta Sahib Tehsil due to the rise in the water levels of the Markanda river were rescued by the district administration after 13 hours, officials said.

The Emergency Operation Centre said landslides occurred in the Chamba, Bilaspur, Shimla, Kullu and Solan districts of Himachal; Pradesh.

Kinnaur district has been cut off from Shimla following flashfloods between Pooh and Kaurik and a landslide on National Highway 5 near Negulsariin, officials said.

Ninety-six roads were closed in Mandi, 76 in Shimla, 37 in Kullu, 33 in Sirmaur, 26 in Chamba, seven in Lahaul and Spiti, five in Hamirpur, and four each in Kangra and Kinnaur, the state emergency operation centre said.

Rescue operations to trace about 30 people who went missing after the July 31 flash floods in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts are being conducted but there has been no major success. So far, 28 bodies have been recovered, the officials said.

More than 100 people have been killed in rain-related incidents, and the state has suffered losses of about Rs 842 crore between June 27 and August 9, they said. PTI BPL NSD NSD