Himachal Pradesh Flash Floods: Death Toll Rises to 26 as Hopes Fade for Missing Victims

The death toll from the flash floods in Himachal Pradesh, triggered by cloudbursts on July 31, has risen to 26 with the discovery of four more bodies. Efforts to locate around 30 missing people continue, but hopes are dwindling. The state has faced significant losses due to rain-related incidents.

The death toll from the devastating flash floods that struck Himachal Pradesh's three districts on July 31 has increased to 26 with the recovery of four bodies on Friday, according to officials.

Efforts to find approximately 30 missing individuals have entered their ninth day, but families are losing hope of finding their loved ones alive.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap confirmed that the four newly found bodies were discovered in the Dogri area near Sunni town; they include three women and a teenage boy, yet to be identified.

The catastrophe impacted Kullu's Nirmand, Sainj, and Malana, Mandi's Padhar, and Shimla's Rampur subdivision, with Samej village reporting the highest number of missing persons.

To date, 14 bodies have been recovered from Rampur, nine from Mandi's Rajbhan village, and three from Kullu's Nirmand/Bagipul area, as search operations span approximately 85 kilometers.

The families of the missing are now mainly hoping for the recovery of bodies to perform last rites, given the slim chances of survival, said Himachal Pradesh Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi.

Simultaneously, an “orange” alert for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in isolated parts of the state was issued for Saturday by the local meteorological office.

The operation involves 663 rescuers from multiple agencies, including the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police, and home guards, supported by additional machinery, drones, sniffer dogs, and various equipment.

Overall, 100 people have died in rain-related incidents with state losses amounting to approximately Rs 802 crores between June 27 and August 8, officials stated.