In a tragic development, the death toll from the recent cloudbursts and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district has reached 13, with 29 people still missing, officials said on Thursday. Rescue teams are continuing their efforts as several districts in the flood-hit state struggle with the damage caused by the heavy monsoon rains.
Officials confirmed that two bodies were recovered on Thursday morning.
The damage to property has been equally disturbing. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), over 150 houses, 104 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, and 14 bridges were destroyed, alongside the loss of 162 livestock. In total, 370 people have been rescued—316 of them from Mandi alone—and five relief camps have been set up. Several roads have also been damaged in the past few days.
Meanwhile, the Manali-Keylong road was blocked near Solang Nallah due to flooding, forcing authorities to divert traffic via Rohtang Pass. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has deployed teams and machinery to restore access. Across the state, 261 roads remain closed, including 186 in Mandi, and disruptions have been reported in 599 electricity transformers and 797 water supply schemes.
Both Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur visited the flood-hit areas on Wednesday to assess the situation. The Chief Minister assured that government land will be allotted to those who lost their homes, and discussions with the Union government would be initiated if forest land is required.
Jai Ram Thakur warned the number of missing persons may increase and called for air-dropping rations in inaccessible areas.
Two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with the local police and home guards, are working round-the-clock on search and rescue operations.
Even as rescue work continues, moderate to heavy rain continued to lash parts of the state. On Wednesday night, Pachhad in Sirmaur recorded 133.3 mm rainfall, with other areas like Mehra Barsar, Jubbarhatti, Una, Baijnath, and Kangra also receiving significant downpours.
The weather department has issued an orange alert for July 5 to 9, warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas and a low to moderate risk of flash floods in six districts: Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur in the next 24 hours.
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