Catastrophic Cloudburst Near Samej and Bagi Bridges in Himachal Pradesh; Rescue Operations Underway

A disastrous cloudburst near the Samej and Bagi bridges in Himachal Pradesh washed away 45 people. Rescue teams have recovered 13 bodies so far, with operations continuing. Heavy rainfall alerts remain in effect across the state.

A catastrophic cloudburst occurred near the Samej and Bagi bridges in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night, washing away 45 people in the vicinity of Shrikhand. Rescue operations are currently underway in the affected area.

Baljinder Singh, Commandant of the 14th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), stated that this year, NDRF teams were dispatched to Himachal Pradesh well-prepared to guarantee timely rescue operations. Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "This year, the NDRF teams were sent to remote locations in Himachal Pradesh to ensure there is no delay in the rescue operations. The Samej cloudburst that has taken place is a huge disaster."

He further reported that 13 bodies were recovered by Thursday morning. "We have recovered 13 dead bodies as of now. Four dead bodies were recovered earlier. Ten more people were missing, and we have found nine bodies as of now. One person has still not been found. We will make sure the rescue operations are carried out properly," Singh said.

Earlier, on August 7, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported significant rainfall across the state, with Joginder Nagar in Mandi district experiencing the highest at 110 mm in 24 hours. Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD Himachal Pradesh, said that alerts were issued for various regions.

"We have recorded the highest rainfall at Joginder Nagar in Mandi district at 110 mm during the past 24 hours. It is heavy rainfall, and in Sirmaur district, we have received heavy rainfall," Dr. Srivastava stated. "In other parts of the state, there has been moderate rainfall. Nearly 75 percent of areas have received between 30 mm to 50 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours," Srivastava told ANI. The IMD has issued an orange alert for the lower Himalayan districts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Chamba, and Mandi.

(With inputs from agencies.)