Mandi, July 29 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday expressed distress over the cloudburst incident in Mandi’s Jail Road and said that he is closely monitoring the situation.

He directed the officials to carry out rescue operations immediately and also expressed gratitude to the locals for their help in the relief work.

Two people died, and two others were missing in Mandi on Tuesday due to continuous rainfall overnight, which caused extensive flooding and landslides throughout Himachal Pradesh.

“The incident of a cloudburst in Jail Road of Mandi district is extremely sad and painful. Two people have died in this, and one person is reported missing, for whose search, rescue teams are trying on a war footing. Many vehicles are also buried in the debris. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“The administration is fully prepared. Instructions have been given to conduct relief and rescue operations speedily. I myself am constantly monitoring the situation, and all necessary assistance is being provided immediately,” it added.

“I also thank the local people engaged in relief work. The state government is standing firmly with the affected people in this difficult time. I urge all of you to follow the guidelines issued by the administration and remain alert,” the statement added.

Among the worst-hit locations was the Zonal Hospital in Mandi, where overflowing drains inundated the premises, forcing authorities to shut down the main access route.

Several internal roads across the district were blocked due to landslides, isolating numerous localities and placing residents in danger zones at heightened risk.

“Relief and rescue operation is underway and the search for one missing is going on,” an official told IANS over the phone.

The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (NH-3) was rendered impassable at multiple points between Mandi and Kullu, leaving several vehicles stranded in long traffic snarls.

As per data released by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), 200 roads remained obstructed across the state as of the evening of July 28.

Additionally, 62 power transformers were reported to be non-functional, and 110 water supply schemes were disrupted due to the persistent rains.

–IANS

vg/sd/