Flash floods claim 4 lives in HP, 3 in Jammu

New Delhi: Flash floods triggered by cloudbursts created havoc in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, washing away bridges, roads and houses and claiming at least seven lives on Thursday as the monsoon tightened its grip over several parts of India.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red alert’ for three Kerala districts -- Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad -- where heavy rain flooded several low-lying areas and also predicted heavy downpours in several parts of Madhya Pradesh in the next 24 hours.

Cloudburst, flash floods and heavy rain wreaked havoc in Kangra and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday.

While two bodies were recovered on Wednesday, the death toll climbed to four on Thursday after the recovery of two more bodies from the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site in Kangra district.

Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri on Thursday said those killed had been identified as Chain Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Aditya Thakur from Chamba, and Pardeep Verma and Chandan, both from Uttar Pradesh.

While some of the missing persons have been rescued, the authorities did not clarify the exact number of people saved or missing.

The project work at the hydro project site had been suspended due to rain, and the workers were resting in temporary shelters near the site when floodwaters from Manuni Khad and nearby drains diverted towards them, sweeping several away.

According to officials, around 250-275 workers were present at the site after the incident on Wednesday night, who have been provided temporary shelter at the Ambedkar Bhawan in Khaniyara.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commandant Baljinder Singh said they are trying to trace the people who are feared to have been swept away from the project site during the floods.

In Jammu and Kashmir, three people, including two children, died as flash floods triggered by cloudbursts and heavy rains hit different areas in Rajouri, Poonch, Doda and Kathua districts.

Shaqafat Ali (14) and his cousin, Safeena Kousar (11), were grazing cattle when they were swept away by the flash floods in a riverlet in Rajouri.

The body of Basharat Hussain (32), a resident of Dunadi village, who drowned while bathing in Lopa stream in Doda on June 23, was taken out by an SDRF rescue team.

Meanwhile, the administration in various districts, including Rajouri and Doda, has imposed a complete ban on swimming, bathing, fishing and roaming near rivers, nallahs, waterfalls, and also prohibited school picnics.

In Madhya Pradesh, several areas received showers on Thursday and the momentum is likely to continue with the IMD predicting very heavy rainfall in five districts and heavy rains in 16 others in the next 24 hours.

In Rajasthan, light to heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning was recorded at many places in the eastern part of the state and some areas in the western part.