New Delhi: A massive chunk of the Chandigarh-Shimla highway near Solan, Himachal Pradesh caved in on Thursday as heavy rainfall and cloudburst caused flash floods and landslides in the state. No casualties were reported as a result of the incident. The road was built only a year ago.
According to an NDTV report, heavy traffic is witnessed on the highway that connects the four-lane tunnel on Kalka-Shimla National Highway-5. For now, the tunnel has been closed.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that heavy rain in the state has caused damage to infrastructure at many places, including in Mandi and Kullu. He also said that deputy commissioners have been asked to immediately report about such damages in order to take quick action, the NDTV report said.
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Heavy rain wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. Flash floods in many areas led to some houses, shops and vehicles being washed away.
Two people were buried alive under the debris caused by a flash flood in Kullu. Chavelu Devi (55) and Kritika (17) died when their house at Khadel village in Sheel gram panchayat of Anni tehsil was hit by debris following the landslide around 9 am, Director of state disaster management department Sudesh Mokhta said, according to a PTI report.
In another incident in the district, 10 shops and three vehicles were washed away after a cloudburst hit the Deuthi gram panchayat in Anni tehsil around 7.30 am, he added.
In Mandi district, the Mandi-Kullu national highway has been blocked due to a landslide in the morning, Mokhta added.
The Mandi District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC) said the incident occurred at 7 Mile near Pandoh due to which National Highway-21 has been completely blocked. Vehicular traffic has been diverted through Kataula.