Tourists stranded as deadly floods sweep through Himachal Pradesh

In the wake of heavy rains and flooding, Himachal Pradesh, a northern Indian state, has been left devastated with a death toll of 91 and 14 individuals reported missing.

Rohit Thakur, the State’s education minister, stated on Thursday that the disaster has resulted in losses amounting to approximately Rs 4,000 crore ($487 million). Furthermore, the state emergency operation centre reported the death toll to be at 88 as of Wednesday night.

An official from the emergency operation centre added that due to the catastrophic event, 1,020 roads remain blocked and critical services such as transportation, including bus services, have been severely disrupted. The event has also led to a disruption of 2,498 transformers and 1,244 water supply schemes.

The meteorological office has forecasted ongoing adverse weather conditions, issuing a yellow alert for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in the region from July 13 to 17, with the wet spell expected to persist until July 19.

Severe flooding claims 91 lives in India‘s Himachal Pradesh with losses totaling to $487 million. Photo courtesy of Manishm on Freeimages.com.

The monsoon season, which commenced on June 24, has caused significant damage to Himachal Pradesh with intense rains triggering landslides and flash floods, resulting in road blockages and extensive property damage. As of July 12, the state had incurred a total loss of Rs 1,312 crore, with further loss estimates still emerging.

Rescue operations have been in full swing, with 256 tourists stranded due to heavy snowfall at Chandertal in the Lahaul and Spiti district being successfully evacuated. Despite ongoing efforts to move 60,000 tourists to safer locations over the past four days, about 10,000 tourists remain stranded in areas like Kasol and Kheerganga, unwilling to abandon their vehicles.

Expert drivers, food, and medical supplies have been arranged for the stranded tourists, and the operation is being supervised by the Lahaul and Spiti Deputy Commissioner. The evacuation effort has been described as challenging by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who conducted an aerial survey of the affected regions.