Cloudburst In Himachal Pradesh: Flash Floods Damage Vehicles In Multiple Districts

On Saturday, a sudden cloudburst in Himachal Pradhesh led to flash floods in many areas like Kullu and Rampur. In Kullu around 20 to 25 vehicles parked on the roadside were damaged while in Rampur the floods washed away 5-6 vehicles.

Anni MLA Lokendra Kumar told ANI that the water entered into houses of people in Rampur and required immediate relief work along with assessment of losses for compensation.

He added, ""Due to heavy rain here along with hailstorm, a cloud burst took place last evening. 5-6 cars have been swept away, and around 24-25 cars are damaged. People are facing a lot of difficulties here. I would request the PWD and revenue department to do a proper assessment of losses. Rescue work should be carried out immediately, and the cars that are struck should be pulled out."

Locals of Rampur gave eye witness details of the incident and said that the heavy rains and storm began in early evening which led to a water outflow from drains and ditches. This water washed away multiple vehicles and caused a panic among other residents.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nirmand Manmohan Singh said no casualties have been reported in the incident in Kullu district. He also added heavy rains triggered flash floods in the dry Sharshaya Nallah, damaging around 20-25 vehicles near Jagat Khana in Nirmand

The state has been witnessing widespread rainfall across districts over the past 24 hours. The local meteorological centre issued a 'yellow' warning for thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds at speeds of 40 to 50 kilometre per hour (kmph) in all 12 districts on May 27 and 28. The warning has been issued for Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, and Chamba districts on May 25 and 26, the centre said.

According to the Himachal Pradesh Meteorological Centre based in Shimla, the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours was recorded in Paonta Sahib, Sirmaur district, which received 107 mm of rain. This was followed by 103 mm of rainfall in Kandaghat, located in Solan district. In comparison, Rampur received 28 mm of rainfall.

(With PTI Inputs)