Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 26: At least five people have been killed, while about 20 others were feared swept away due to cloudbursts that triggered flash floods on Wednesday evening in Kangra and Kullu districts in Himachal Pradesh.
Some of the missing people have since been rescued while search operations have been intensified to trace the remaining missing persons. The Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said there had been cloudbursts at three locations and flash floods at nine locations in the state. He confirmed five deaths, two in Kullu and three in Kangra.
At least three bodies have been found and five people are still missing after the water level in the Manuni Khad river near Dharamshala rose sharply in Kangra district on Wednesday. The workers were part of the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric Project underway in the area.
As rescue operations continued, Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma shared his concerns on social media. He stated that around 15–20 workers could have been swept away in the incident and expressed his condolences to the affected families. “Perhaps I have never seen such a heart-wrenching incident before,” he said. SDM Dharamshala, Mohit Ratna, confirmed that the rescue operation was in full swing and that one body had already been sent to Dharamshala Hospital for post-mortem.
The flash floods triggered by cloudbursts have also damaged around 15 houses and two national highways. Mr Sukhu has urged the citizens and tourists to stay away from the rivers and streams and avoid attempting any adventure sports. He said the water level in the rivers increases during the rainy season, so it is not advisable to venture into rivers and risk lives.
The flash floods also wreaked havoc in Kullu, sweeping away three people, vehicles, and damaging several houses and a school building, officials said. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was deployed in Kullu on Thursday following a cloudburst in the Sainj Valley.
NDRF Inspector Deepak Bisht stated that three people had been missing due to the cloudburst and that the teams have been carrying out rescue operations. “Our NDRF team has arrived here. We received information that three people are missing, and now we are assisting. Whatever happens in the area afterwards, we will find out based on the information we get,” Bisht said.
As many as three cloudburst incidents were reported from Jeeva Nallah and Rehla Bihal in Sainj and Shilagarh in the Gadsa area of the district. During the incident, three people who attempted to take valuables from their homes to safety were washed away and are currently missing, they added.
According to Kullu Additional District Commissioner (ADC) Ashwani Kumar, flash floods also occurred in Manali and Banjar in the district. Search and rescue teams were on the spot, and operations were being carried out. The water levels of the Beas and Sutlej rivers have gone up. Meanwhile, police in Lahaul and Spiti said the road from Kaza to Samdoh is blocked in several spots due to landslides, falling rocks, and overflowing drains.
An official of the rescue operation said: “Cloudbursts were reported in the Brahmaganga region of the Manikaran valley, Gomti river area in the Gadsa valley, including Banjar and Sainj. Several other streams, including the Jeeva Nala in the Sainj valley, also experienced cloudbursts, causing significant damage. In Jeeva Nala (Sainj), the cloudburst washed away sheds belonging to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).”
Meanwhile, IMD Shimla has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain in district Kullu, Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmour and Solan along with one or two places in district Una in the next 24 hours. The alert will remain in effect till Thursday evening.
In the hills adjoining Manikaran, intense rainfall triggered a cloudburst in the Brahmaganga area, leading to a rise in the water level of the Brahmaganga river. As a result, debris entered several homes, forcing residents to flee to safer locations. Meanwhile, a temporary bridge over Parvati river in Baladhi village of Manikaran valley was swept away due to rising water levels. A portion of the bridge was completely destroyed, severing access to the village. The bridge had been built by villagers themselves after a disaster in 2024. With their only link now gone, villagers face increased hardship.
In another incident, due to heavy rains, flow in a stream near Dekhchhu in Dharampur on the Jalandhar-Attari-Mandi National Highway was blocked by dumped soil intended for an under-construction bridge. This obstruction turned the stream into a lake, submerging the Gasia Mata temple, a sarai (inn), and a cremation ground. The halted streamflow has put several villages at risk.
Given the heightened risk of floods, landslides, and cloudbursts following the active monsoon, the Himachal Pradesh Police Headquarters has issued an advisory. All district SPs have been instructed to alert and activate emergency response teams. Officials have been directed to inspect vulnerable locations and share emergency contact numbers with the public. People are advised to stay away from hillsides and water bodies and avoid unnecessary travel. Sensitive areas are to be monitored continuously, and local authorities must strictly follow guidelines when releasing water from dams.
