Another body found, Kangra toll six
Dharamshala, June 28 -- One more body was recovered on Friday amid an ongoing search operation two days after several labourers were swept away by a flash flood in Manuni Khad of Khanyara area near Dharamshala, Kangra. The deceased has been identified as Nitin of Kangra. While two persons still remain missing, six bodies have been recovered so far. The victims, along with others, were working at a small hydel project in Khanyara.
Officials said that due to heavy rainfall, the water in Manuni Khad increased suddenly and changed its course, hitting the labourers' shelter.
Lovely from the Chamba district, whom the search teams rescued from a forest near the project site on Thursday, said there were 13 people in the camp, of which five ran towards hills, while the remaining were swept by the gushing waters.
Meanwhile, the Kangra administration has ordered a probe into the incident. Deputy commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said a committee, headed by the Dharamshala SDM, has been constituted to investigate the matter. "The committee will look into the causes and determine whether it was entirely a natural calamity or if human negligence was also a contributing factor," he said.
Several people were swept away as heavy rains triggered flash-floods in Himachal's Kullu and Dharamshala on Wednesday. In Kullu, a search operation is also underway by the NDRF to find the three missing persons, who were swept away by flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Sainj valley. The missing persons include a 14-year-old girl, a 56-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man. No one has been located so far.
IMD officials have said widespread rainfall with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over plains, mid hills and adjoining high hills of Himachal Pradesh till July 3, with peak intensity expected on June 29.
A yellow alert of heavy rainfall was sounded at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts on June 28. For June 29, an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Sirmaur and Solan districts and for heavy rainfall in parts of Chamba, Kullu, Shimla and Mandi districts. Several districts of the state will continue to remain under a yellow alert on June 30 and July 1.
Heavy to very heavy rain was observed at isolated places and light to moderate rain was observed at many places over the state during the past 24 hours, resulting in closure of 53 roads to vehicular traffic. Additionally, 135 transformers and 147 water supply schemes were disrupted, officials said. A maximum of 23 roads were blocked in Kullu, 16 in Mandi, seven in Lahaul and Spiti, four in Una and three in Sirmaur districts....
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