Weather News: Over 30 Dead After Flash Floods, Landslides in HP, U'khand; Odisha, J'khand Also Hit

At least 31 people were killed as Monsoon mayhem continues to wreak havoc across the country with parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Jharkhand seeing heavy rains and severe flooding. In Himachal’s Mandi alone, 13 people died and six went missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said.

Three people also lost their lives after their house collapsed due to a landslide triggered by rains in the state’s Chamba district early this morning. Meanwhile, 22 people, who were stranded following a flash flood in the state’s Hamirpur district, were evacuated safely, according to officials. Eight members of another family are also feared buried under the debris of their house following a landslide at Kashan village in the Gohar development block, according to officials who said that their bodies have not been retrieved yet.

Ten people were injured in the state which has reported 36 weather-related incidents. As many as 743 roads, including the Manali-Chandigarh national highway at Mandi and the Shimla-Chandigarh highway at Shoghi, have been blocked for traffic.

Rain alert has been sounded in Kangra, Chamba, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, and Mandi districts today. In view of incessant rain in Mandi district, schools were ordered to remain shut today.

The 800-metre-long railway bridge over the Chakki river in Pathankot on Punjab-Himachal border collapsed today after a flash flood washed away a pillar of the bridge. Train services between Pathankot and Jogindernagar, that was first commissioned by the British in 1928, was halted last month after cracked were seen on the bridge.

There were also reports of water entering several homes and shops in Mandi district that received a fresh spell of rain this morning. Several vehicles were reportedly damaged and many residents have said to be trapped. Schools were also ordered to be shut in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh due to incessant rains. The Himachal Pradesh disaster management had issued a warning for landslides due to heavy rains that are said to continue in Himachal till August 25.

Flooding in Parts of Uttarakhand, Cloudburst in Dehradun

An incident of cloudburst was reported in Raipur block in Dehradun district. SDRF team were immediately rushed to spot and everyone stuck in the village were rescued while some took shelter in a resort nearby, according to the SDRF.

A series of cloudbursts early Saturday killed four people, while 10 went missing as rivers breached banks, washed away bridges, and threw mud and waters inside houses, forcing evacuation of multiple villages.

A section of a bridge that connects Raipur in outer Dehradun with the Dehradun airport has been washed out due to severe flooding.

In Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, River Ganga is currently flowing close to danger mark.

Rain Disrupts Vaishno Devi Yatra

In Jammu and Kashmir, the yatra to the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district was temporarily suspended on Friday evening following heavy rain. The Chief Executive Officer of Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said there was no report of any casualty or damage. Yatra to the shrine has now resumed.

In J&K’s Udhampur district, 2 children died as a mud house collapsed due to landslides in Samole village in Muttal area. Rescue teams after recovered the dead bodies from the debris of the collapsed house, according to the Udhampur Administration.

Rain Continues to Batter Odhisa, No Cyclone Alert for Now

The depression in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression bringing rainfall in Odisha and West Bengal according to the IMD which rejected the possibility of a cyclone for now.

“There is no possibility of a cyclone this time. We have never said that the system will take the shape of a cyclone,” IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra told PTI. According to the IMD, North Odisha is set to receive the maximum rainfall while rain intensity is set to increase in western districts as well. The IMD had also issued a Red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated extremely heavy rain, for Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts among several areas of Odisha.

Rains also pounded parts of eastern India, with Odisha — already reeling under floods in the Mahanadi river system with around 4 lakh people marooned in 500 villages reporting four deaths. Odisha braced for more damage with parts in its north receiving rains since Friday night. Prices of vegetables have shot up in the markets of Bhubaneswar with the supply chain disrupted.

Water levels in Subarnarekha, Budhabalang, Baitarani and Salandi are being monitored as Balasore, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj received heavy rain on the previous night, Odisha Water Resources Chief Engineer B K Mishra said on Saturday.

Rain Alert in Parts of Jharkhand

A woman died when a mud wall of her house caved in on her in West Singhbhum district on Saturday morning. The depression over the Bay of Bengal impacted parts of Jharkhand with the Ranchi Meteorological Centre issuing a red alert for parts of the state, where heavy rainfall is expected to continue in many parts of the state today. Red alert has been issued for Saraikela-Kharswan, East and West Singhbhum districts, according to officials, who predicted heavy to very heavy rain in some districts in west and central Jharkhand as well.

Two flights have also been cancelled till 2 pm due to bad weather on Saturday, officials at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi told PTI.

Heavy Rain Predicted in Parts of Rajasthan

The Meteorological Department also predicted a fresh round of heavy rains for parts of Rajasthan starting this weekend after a new pressure system was formed along the coast of Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh. According to the MET department, the new weather system is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression and move in a west-northwest direction through Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in the next one or two days. Parts of Kota, Udaipur, Jaipur, Bharatpur and Ajmer divisions are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. The IMD also predicts that there would be an increase in rain activities in the districts of Jodhpur, Bikaner division over the weekend.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Read the Latest News and Breaking News here