Himachal rain havoc: Two dead, shops and vehicles washed away

Shimla: Heavy rains wreaked havoc in parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday with two people being buried alive under debris following a landslide in Kullu district, while shops and vehicles were washed away and highways blocked by flash floods in other places.

In Kullu, Chavelu Devi (55) and Kritika (17) died when their house at Khadel village in Sheel gram panchayat of Anni tehsil was hit by debris following the landslide around 9 am, Director of state disaster management department Sudesh Mokhta said.

In another incident in the district, 10 shops and three vehicles were washed away after a cloudburst hit the Deuthi gram panchayat in Anni tehsil around 7.30 am, he added.

An old bus stand and a panchayat building at Deuthi are also facing the risk of being washed away, and revenue department officials have reached the spot to assess the situation, he added.

In Shimla district, three small cars and a pickup vehicle were washed away during torrential rains at Diyandali Nullah in Chopal tehsil, the official said.

In Mandi district, the Mandi-Kullu national highway has been blocked due to a landslide in the morning, he said.

The Mandi District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC) said the incident occurred at 7 Mile near Pandoh due to which National Highway-21 has been completely blocked. Vehicular traffic has been diverted through Kataula.

In Chamba district, a crasher, two compressors machines and a store of a construction company were washed away in a cloudburst incident near Ala Nullah in Bharmour tehsil, Mokhta said.