Monsoon Wreaks Havoc In Himachal Pradesh: 74 Dead, 30 Missing; IMD Issues Red Alert

Torrential monsoon rains is wreaking havoc in Himachal Pradesh, with 74 people killed, over 30 missing in the hill state amid cloudbursts and flash floods, reported The Times Of India.

Further, rescue team are racing to find over 30 missing people in Mandi district’s worst-hit areas.

Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force, police, army, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are navigating challenging terrain to locate those feared trapped after flash floods and cloudbursts.

"We've not been able to locate any of the missing persons yet," Mandi deputy commissioner Spoor Devgan was quoted as saying by ToI.

He noted that 31 individuals remain unaccounted for.

"The relief work is difficult because of the geography. This is only the beginning of the monsoon and we must now manage relief, rehabilitation and restoration over the next three months," Devgan added.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Sunday (6 July), forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning in Mandi, Kangra, and Sirmaur districts.

Many parts of Mandi remain cut off due to road damage amid heavy rainfall.

On Saturday evening (5 July), 238 roads were blocked across Himachal, including 176 in Mandi alone.

Power and water supply have been hit hard, with 258 transformers and 289 water schemes disrupted, most of them in Mandi.

Between 20 June and 5 July, the state has suffered over Rs 566.87 crore in damages, with 115 people injured.

In addition to 45 monsoon-related deaths, 30 accidental fatalities were also reported, including those caused by road accidents, electrocution, and gas explosions.

Mandi recorded 20 deaths, Kangra 13, with 37 people still missing across the state.

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