On Thursday, the death toll has increased to five with three more bodies from a hydroelectric project site in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The site was affected by the sudden flood a day earlier.
On Wednesday, a search operation has been intensified to search for six people missing since the floods in Kangra and Kullu districts. Two bodies were recovered on Wednesday.
Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri said on Thursday that the deceased have been identified as Chan Singh, resident of Jammu and Kashmir, Aditya Thakur of Chamba, Sanjay of Noorpur and Pradeep Verma and Chandan of Uttar Pradesh.
Lovely in Chamba district, which was rescued by the investigative parties from the forest near the project site, said that there were 13 people in the camp, out of which five people ran towards the hills, while the rest were swept away by the rapid flow.
Daya Kishan, a laborer, said, “We saw the floods coming and shouted to alert people below before flee to a safe place.”
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commandant Baljinder Singh said that they are trying to find out those who are expected to be washed away from the project site during the flood.
Three more people have not yet been ascertained in Rehla Buhal of Kullu district. About 15-20 workers are expected to be washed away in a temporary labor colony near the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric Project Site after the water level at Manuni Khad in Khaniyara village on Wednesday evening.
Although some missing persons have been rescued, the authorities have not clarified the actual number of those rescued.
NDRF’s Singh said that joint teams of NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and home guards are at work, although hard topography and bad weather have made the search campaign difficult.
Officials said that another person, who had run to the nearby hill to save himself during the flood, has also been found. He said that some of the missing people are from Nurpur and Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh, while others are from Uttar Pradesh.
BJP President JP Nadda expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the workers, saying, “In this hour of crisis, every BJP worker is dedicated to providing all possible help to the citizens of Devbhoomi. I pray to God to compete with the peace of the departed souls and the condolences to the bereaved families. “
BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma from Dharamshala, who reached the spot on Thursday, said that the project site is one kilometer from his village. Sharma said that on Wednesday, he received a call that the water level had increased and 15-20 people have been washed away.
He claimed that the laborers in the building were given shelter near a drain and not taking them to safe areas when the weather deteriorates shows negligence which should be investigated.
Apart from accusing the officials of negligence in ensuring the safety of the workers, Sharma also expressed serious concern over the negligence from the contractor and the project officials. He also claimed that the actual damage of life and property is much higher than the number mentioned and only the labor contractor can give accurate information about the number of missing workers.
Meanwhile, officials said that till Wednesday night around 250-275 workers were present on the site, all of whom have been provided temporary shelter at Ambedkar Bhawan in Khaniyara.
Officials said the project work was stopped due to rain and the workers were resting in temporary shelters near the site, when the flood waters from Manuni Khad and the surrounding drains turned towards them and many workers were washed away.
He said that three people, including a 14 -year -old teenager who were swept away in the flood in Rehla Bihal of Kullu district, are still missing and their search is on.
Deputy Commissioner Torul S. Ravvesh said that NDRF has joined the rescue operation in Kullu. He has advised tourists to avoid going to low-lying areas and river-ghats. There have also been reports of sudden floods from Manali and Banjar in the district and some tourists have also been reported to be stranded in remote areas of Kullu district due to roads being blocked.
Heavy rains have caused heavy damage to Sainz, Gadsa and Hornagad areas under Banjar assembly constituency of Kullu. Banjar MLA Surinder Shourie, who visited the affected places, said that the main road in Hornagad is blocked, while the power and water supply in the village has been disrupted.
