Flash floods fueled by continuous rains and cloud bursting wreaked havoc on Tozing Nullah in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti region on Wednesday, killing nine people and leaving ten more missings, according to a police officer.
Official reports state that four people have been reported missing from the Kullu district, including one tourist from Delhi. Another three have been reported missing from Lahaul and Spiti. Seven people died in the Lahaul and Spiti districts of the state and two in Chamba.
According to the police, Four Border Roads Organisation(BRO) personnel, two Airtel Videocon Telecommunications Ltd(VTL) labourers, and four passengers on their way to Pangi-Killar are among the missing.
Army personnel Mohan Singh(38), who was safely evacuated from Tozing Nullah by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Police, Fireteam, and ITBP Rescue team, was among those saved.
Mobile connectivity in the entire stretch around Tozing Nullah has been disrupted due to the flash floods.
SN Pradhan, Director General of the NDRF, stated, "In Lahaul and Spiti, we are attempting to assess and assist. The increased number of climate-related incidents is attributed to climate change."Due to the increase in the Bhaga River, residents of Darcha Village in Lahaul & Spiti have been moved to safer areas.
Heavy rains continue to lash various parts of the state with the Shimla Meteorological Centre issuing a red weather warning. Many rivers and their tributaries in Himachal Pradesh are in spate after the torrential rains.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued yellow and orange weather alerts for Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana, respectively. In Haryana, torrential rains have flooded tributaries and major rivers, including the Yamuna. After the rains in Himachal Pradesh, the Hathnikund barrage near Yamunanagar received 1.37 lakh cusecs of water. In Haryana, the Yamunanagar district administration has issued a flood warning for low-lying areas.