15 died, 13 missing in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K amid floods due to heavy rain

|HT|

At least 15 people were killed and 13 others were feared dead in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir after heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides in northern India.

Rescue officials were rushed to Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh where a torrent of floodwater swept away two houses and killed eight people, a government statement said.

In Himachal Pradesh, eight people were killed and 13 others were feared dead in incidents of flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains . Twenty-two people, who were stranded following a flash flood in the state's Hamirpur district, were evacuated safely.

Train service between Jogindernagar and Pathankot route have been suspended after the Chakki bridge in Kangra district collapsed in the morning due to heavy rains. The railway authorities had declared the bridge unsafe.

In Mandi, a girl was killed and 13 others were feared dead in a landslide and flash flood triggered by heavy rains. The body of a girl was recovered about half-a-km away from her house in Baghi Nullah on Mandi-Katola-Prashar road on Friday night, while five members of her family were washed away.

Eight members of another family are also feared buried under the debris of their house following a landslide at Kashan village in Gohar development block. However, the bodies have not been retrieved yet. Several roads in Mandi district have also been blocked following flash floods and multiple landslides.

In Uttarakhand, a series of cloudbursts hit different parts of the state killing four people while 10 went missing as rivers breached their banks and washed away bridges.

Torrential rains damaged two houses in Gwad village in Tehri district trapping seven people under the debris. Two bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, Tehri district magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar said.

Water also entered the caves of Tapkeshwar, a famous Shiva temple on the banks of the Tons river, which was in spate.

A cloudburst occurred around 2.15 am in Sarkhet village in the Raipur area, they said, adding a bridge over the Song river near Thano got washed away while the Kempty Falls, a popular tourist spot near Mussoorie, was also flowing dangerously.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway is blocked at Totaghati, the Rishikesh-Gangotri highway is blocked at Nagni and the Narendranagar-Ranipokhri road is blocked at several points.

In Jammu and Kashmir's Uddhampur village, two children were killed after their mud house collapsed due to a landslide triggered due to heavy rains. The bodies of the minors identified as Arif aged 3 years and two-month-old Gani, sons of Billa Son were recovered by rescuers.

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