Cloud burst in Himachal’s Kullu claims one life, 3 injured 

Cloud burst in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district kills 1, injures 3. Heavy rains have caused 117 deaths, 12 missing, 53 landslides, 41 flash floods, and Rs 4,414.95 Crores in losses. 70,000 tourists rescued, incl. 250 from snow-bound Chandertal Lake. CM Sukhu says no financial aid yet, Rs. 50 crores released for road restoration.

At least one person died and three sustained injuries following a cloud burst at Kyas village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district in the wee hours on Monday.

The cloud burst occurred at around 3:55 a.m. amid heavy rain lashing the region during the night. In the incident, one person died on the spot, while three have been injured due to a washed-away vehicle, according to State’s Emergency Operation Center. The rescue team was on the way.

Since June 24, following the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh, 117 people have lost their lives and twelve people are missing in rain-related incidents till July 16. The State has seen as many as 53 instances of landslides and there have been 41 incidents of flash floods as well. Close to 800 roads across the state were blocked following landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. The total monetary loss so far is pegged at Rs 4,414.95 Crores, according to government data.

Heavy rains lashed several parts of the State last week, and intermittent rains were still continuing, leaving several roads, including national highways, damaged due to landslides, adversely impacting vehicular movement in Himachal Pradesh. The incessant rains have left rivers Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas flowing through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in Haryana in spate.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government has safely evacuated around 70,000 tourists from the State, who were stranded following heavy rainfall, which included 250 individuals who were rescued from the snow-bound Chandertal Lake area in the tribal district of the State’s Lahaul and Spiti.

The Chief Minister said that though a team from the Central government is scheduled to assess the damage on Monday, no financial assistance has been received so far.

He said that the State government was giving priority to the restoration of roads in apple belt areas of the state and has released ₹50 crores to the Public Works Department for this purpose.