Himachal Rains: Search, rescue ops underway in flood-affected Samej village after cloudburst in Shimla

SHIMLA: Search and rescue operations are currently underway in flood-affected Samej village near Rampur in Shimla district following catastrophic cloudbursts in different areas of Himachal Pradesh.

A catastrophic cloudburst recently struck Himachal Pradesh, causing widespread devastation and destroying different areas of the hill station, including Samej village.

Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Saturday said that around 50 people are feared dead in the affected areas and the official number can only be declared after official confirmation and completion of rescue operations.

Singh also said that the topmost priority of the state government is to retrieve the bodies and restore connectivity in the affected areas of the state as soon as possible. He further informed that the government has announced Rs 50,000 as an immediate relief to the affected families and in future, more compensation will be provided to them.

Furthermore, he conveyed that from NDRF to SDRF, Police and Home Guard personnel, everybody is involved in the rescue operations together. Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh said, "A cloudburst occurred 2-3 days back over the Shrikhand mountain top. Due to this, areas in Rampur and Kullu have faced massive destruction. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also visited the area. He took stock of the situation and briefed the officials. We have started setting up Bailey bridges at various locations. Police personnel are being deployed at various places. The administration is coordinating with everyone. NDRF, SDRF, State Police, and Home Guard jawans are carrying out rescue operations together."

Earlier, the Indian Army launched extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to aid the affected communities in Himachal Pradesh's Samej village. According to the Indian Army, the road to the incident site was blocked due to a land shift approximately 2.5 kilometres short of the incident site, after which troops moved on foot beyond the blockade.

The Army's Engineer Task Force (ETF) repaired the road and made it operational on Friday itself. The equipment was temporarily stuck at the blockade site but reached the incident site later after the road was repaired. On Friday, the Army also completed the construction of the improvised footbridge, thus facilitating the move of rescue teams towards the far bank of the river and the rescue of civilians stranded on the far bank.