70,000 stranded tourists evacuated successfully from Himachal Pradesh, says CM

At least 70,000 tourists, who were stranded at various places in Himachal Pradesh, due to floods and landslides were successfully rescued by Army, NDRF and SDRF, said Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh):Torrential rain accompanied by landslides was wreaking havoc in various parts of Himachal Pradesh. Tourists stranded in different places in the state were successfully evacuated and sent home. At least 70,000 tourists stuck at various places in the state were rescued and sent to their respective states safely, said Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.

Nearly, 500 tourists have been staying in the state voluntarily. To whom food and other essential items are being provided to them. Furthermore, the Chief Minister said that the rescue operation was carried out on a large scale, keeping in mind the safety of tourists. The rescue operation was completed successfully. Besides, 15,000 vehicles, which were stranded due to damaged roads or landslides, were also sent to their destinations. On the other hand, electricity and water supply as well as mobile services were restored partially in 80 per cent of the disaster-affected areas.

Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that efforts are being made to restore essential services in the remaining parts of the state as soon as possible. The Chief Minister also extended thanks to various agencies of the Central and state governments, including NDRF and the Army, for successfully carrying out relief and rescue operations in the disaster-affected areas.

Elaborating further, the Chief Minister said that the calamity was huge and the loss due to floods is colossal. The state has suffered a loss to the tune of around Rs 8,000 crore in the state. The people of the state fought nature's fury bravely. The State government is standing with them in this hour of crisis. He also appealed to the Central government to provide assistance to the State government.