Flash floods wreaked havoc in parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, 11 August, with two women being buried alive under debris following a landslide in Kullu district.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for Uttarakhand's Dehradun, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, and Bhageshwar districts as heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms lashed the state on Thursday.
2 Dead in Himachal Pradesh
At least ten shops and three vehicles were washed away and highways were blocked in other places. The disaster management department in Himachal Pradesh said, in a statement, that a cloudburst in Kullu district had caused the heavy rains.
In Kullu, Chavelu Devi (55) and Kritika (17) died when their house in Khadel village in Sheel gram panchayat of Anni tehsil was hit by debris following the landslide at around 9 am, State Disaster Management Authority Director Sudesh Mokhta said.
The national highway in Mandi district and state highway number 26 in Udaipur subdivision of Lahaul-Spiti district were blocked after a landslide in the morning.
In Chamba district, a crasher, two compressors machines, and the store of a construction company were washed away in a cloudburst incident near Ala Nullah in Bharmour tehsil.
Due to major flooding, boulders have been found to be continually falling near Kuthbihal at Telling nullah in Lahaul subdivision, said officials.
Jammu Records Highest Rainfall in 26 Years
Two persons were killed due to a heavy downpour that triggered a landslide in Jammu & Kashmir's Ramban district. They have been identified as Shamina Begum and her daughter Razia Bano. It has been raining heavily in Jammu for the last 24 hours due to which most rivers, seasonal streams, and other water bodies have become swollen.
Jammu has recorded 189 mm rainfall, which is the highest in the last 26 years.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was also blocked because of the landslides. Road traffic has been affected.
The National Highway 44 has been blocked on the Mehar slide near the petrol pump at Ramban, said the district's deputy commissioner.
Highways Leading to Himalayan Shrines Blocked by Debris
Heavy rains in Uttarakhand caused a surge in the water levels in all reservoirs and uprooted buildings and shops.
Light to moderate rains is expected in the state between 11 and 13 August.
Badkot and Purola in Uttarkashi district received 88 mm and 84 mm of rain, respectively, while the district headquarters received 70 mm of rain.
Landslides in the hills have blocked national highways and a number of rural motor roads. National highways leading to the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri were blocked by debris.
The Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway (NH) at Narkota, Rishikesh-Yamunotri NH at Kharadi and Dabarkot, and the Rishikesh-Gangotri NH at Ratudi-Sera, Bandarkot, and Naitala were blocked. Tanakapur-Champawat-Ghaat national highway in Campawat district and Tyuni-Chakrata-Tehri-Maletha national highway in Dehradun district were also blocked by rubble.
A stream in Khablisera village washed away eight shops in Uttarkashi district on Thursday morning, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said. Three houses at Agarchatti village near Gairsain in Chamoli district were washed away. No casualties were reported so far.
However, several local people were displaced and stranded in several places.
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