Himachal Pradesh flash floods: Cloudbursts in Kangra and Kullu leave 5 dead, 6 missing

Search teams resumed operations Friday morning to trace six people missing after cloudbursts and flash floods tore through Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra and Kullu districts earlier this week. At least five bodies have already been recovered from a hydro project site in Kangra.

Officials said joint teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police, and home guards are combing through affected areas. The cloudbursts struck on Wednesday, sweeping away temporary shelters and disrupting a hydroelectric project site.

Five bodies were found near the project site in Kangra. Three more people are feared missing in the same area, while another three went missing after a cloudburst at Rehla Bihal in Kullu district, where search efforts are ongoing.

Lovely, a resident of Chamba rescued near the project site, said 13 workers had been at the camp when floodwaters surged through. “Five ran towards the hills while the remaining were swept by the gushing waters,” she said.

“We saw the floods coming and screamed to alert the people below before running to safety,” added Daya Kishan, a labourer present at the site.

According to officials, the project work had been halted due to rainfall, and workers were resting in makeshift shelters when floodwaters from the Manuni Khad and surrounding drains diverted into the area.

NDRF Commandant Baljinder Singh said teams are continuing to search for those missing from the site.

Meanwhile, Dharamshala BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma alleged negligence on part of the project authorities. He claimed that shelters were built near a stream and workers were not relocated despite adverse weather conditions. “This should be probed,” Sharma said.

(With PTI inputs)