Himachal Pradesh Cloudburst:  As many as three persons have been killed in three massive cloudbursts that jolted Himachal Pradesh. The cloudburst in Himachal’s Mandi caused severe destruction on Wednesday night. One person has died in the incident while over 10 are reported missing, Jagran.com reported. Several houses have been washed away by the strong water currents in Rajwan Village of Dhamchyan Panchayat in the Drang Assembly area.

Due to the remote location, the administration is unable to establish contact with Panchayat representatives and officials in the affected area. Mobile services are down, and the access routes are completely cut off.

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Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, Apoorv Devgan, has left for Dhamchyan with the relief and rescue team. NDRF and SDRF have been called for relief and rescue operations. The administration has sought the help of the Air Force for the rescue mission.

Around 12 midnight on Wednesday, a loud explosion was heard in Rajwan Village. The water in no time entangled the area and roads, houses got washed away before people could even understand what was happening. Upon receiving the information, the administrative machinery became active and initiated rescue ops.

Due to the cloudburst, the weather department's warning, and the closure of access routes, the district administration has declared a holiday today for the educational institutions in the Padhar subdivision. The Pathankot-Mandi National Highway is also obstructed at several places due to landslides, causing long queues of vehicles.

“There is information about heavy damage caused by a cloudburst at midnight in Dhamchyan of the Drang constituency. Ten people are reported missing. NDRF and SDRF have already been dispatched. Help from the Air Force has been sought for the rescue operation. Schools in the Padhar subdivision have been closed,” Madan Kumar, Additional District Magistrate, Mandi, said.

Given the heavy rainfall in the Beas River catchment area, the State Electricity Board has opened the gates of the 126-megawatt Larji Dam, and the BBMB has opened the gates of the Pandoh Dam. The Beas River level at Bhuntar has been recorded at 30,580 cusecs. The inflow of water into the Pandoh Dam has reached 43,328 cusecs.

Shimla Cloudburst:

In Samej, located in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh, a cloudburst occurred late Wednesday night. As many as 36 people have been reported missing. The search for the missing persons has begun. There are also reports of the Ascent Hydro 6 MW project being swept away in Samej. 

The District Commissioner of Shimla has reached the site. Meanwhile, a team of doctors from Khaneri Hospital in Rampur has been dispatched. Rampur's SDM and other officials arrived at the scene in Samej.

NDRF and SDRF teams have also been rushed to the spot. 

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"So far 36 people have been reported missing in the Samej area of Shimla district. Similarly, 8 people are missing in the Tikken area of Mandi, 2 bodies have been recovered, and 1 is injured. In the Kullu area, the barrage of the power project in Malana has been breached, so people are also stranded, and the road connectivity is currently closed. The Chief Minister has called an emergency meeting... many bridges have been damaged," Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi told ANI. 

Kullu Cloudburst:

In Malana village of Kullu district's Manikaran, a dam of a power project has broken. It has caused flooding in the valley, leading to widespread chaos. Due to the rain that occurred at midnight, the Beas River has also taken a fierce form, and near Manali town, the Beas River has changed its course and started flowing onto the highway. The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway is closed at several places due to landslides. Currently, due to heavy flooding in the Parvati River, people around Bhuntar have been alerted.