North India issued an alert as cloudbursts & flash floods leave dozens dead in HP and J&K
Wednesday proved to be a catastrophic day in parts of India as 22 lives were claimed to series of cloudbursts and flash floods. Rescue operations have been initiated by teams of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force).
Flash floods in Himachal Pradesh
At least 14 people died on Wednesday due to flash floods in the northern state of India. Four people are still missing and search operations are underway. Seven districts of Himachal Pradesh have been affected by flash floods, said Chief Secretary of state Anil Khachi. The worst affected states are Kullu, Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti.
Red weather warning indicating extremely heavy rain has been issued by Shimla Meteorological Centre. Landslides have blocked Kalka – Shimla Highway and Chandigarh – Manali Highway in the state. Furthermore, traffic has been stopped at Manali – Leh Highway and Gramphu – Kaza Highway.
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh witness cloudbursts
The union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were hit by cloudbursts. Kishtwar district of J&K witnessed the most damage, specially Dacchan and Boujwa areas. At least 8 dead bodies were recovered, while 17 people were rescued by joint operation of Army and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Holy shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir too reported cloudbursts.
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Cloudbursts were also reported in Sangra and Khangral areas of Kargil in Ladakh, that damaged homes, bridges and a mini-hydro power project.
Heavy rain in Northern States
Heavy rains lashed states of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab too. National capital recorded 386.3 mm of rainfall this month. But as a result water logging was a major problem for public that impacted traffic in Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Mahipalpur and many others.
“Orange alert” has been issued by IMD (Indian Meteorological Department) for Delhi. Orange alert indicates extreme bad weather prediction.
Heavy rain in Maharashtra
Due to heavy rain-related incidents, death toll climbed to 213 in Maharashtra. Raigad that recorded 95 of fatalities was the most impacted.