2 dead, 3 trapped as house collapses after cloudburst in Himachal’s Sirmaur
Rescue teams have been pressed into service to locate the rest; they have been identified as Kuldeep Singh, 62, his wife Jeet Devi, 55, Rajni Devi, 31, Nitesh, 10, and Deepika, 5.
Two have died and three others of a family are feared to be trapped under the debris of a house that collapsed on Wednesday following a cloudburst in Sirmaur, officials said on Thursday.
Rescue teams have been pressed into service to locate the missing. The victims have been identified as Kuldeep Singh, 62, his wife Jeet Devi, 55, Rajni Devi, 31, Nitesh, 10, and Deepika, 5.
“Bodies of Kuldeep Singh and Nitesh were retrieved while three are still buried under debris,” said Poanta Sahib sub- divisional magistrate Gunjanpreet Cheema.
Locals, however, claimed that the rescue teams and administrative officials were unable to reach the spot till late Wednesday evening, thus delaying relief efforts.
Meanwhile, the water levels in Giri river increased following the cloudburst. As a result, around 70 families, residing in Sirmauri Tal, were forced to abandon their homes. Villagers of nearby areas, including Muglawala and Kartarpur, extended support to these families and provided them refuge. Cheema said that 160 villagers were evacuated.
Cheema said, “We have initiated rescue operations in the area.”
Weatherman issues yellow alert
MeT department has issued a yellow alert and forecast heavy rains and thunderstorm in isolated places across the state for next three days.
The rains will likely trigger landslides, flash flood and may hamper the essential services, said MeT director Surender Paul. People are advised to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from rivers and water streams, he added.
Death toll 231
As per the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) data, the monetary losses due to natural disasters in the state have mounted to ₹6,731.13 crore and 231 people have lost their lives.
So far, 83 landslides and 53 cloudburst incidents have been reported in the state. Losses to the Public Works Department have been pegged at ₹2,129.10 crore and Jal Shakti Department and State Electricity Board have suffered losses amounting to ₹1,629.21 crore and ₹1,505.73 crore, respectively.
