Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): In the wake of a catastrophic flood that has ravaged parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Indian Army launched extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to aid the affected communities in Himachal Pradesh's Samej village.
According to the Indian Army, the road to the incident site was blocked due to a land shift approximately 2.5 kilometres short of the incident site, after which troops moved on foot beyond the blockade. The Army's Engineer Task Force (ETF) repaired the road and made it operational on Friday itself.
The equipment was temporarily stuck at the blockade site but reached the incident site later after the road was repaired.
On Friday, the Army also completed the construction of the improvised footbridge, thus facilitating the move of rescue teams towards the far bank of the river and the rescue of civilians stranded on the far bank.
Moreover, a medical camp was established by the Army at the incident site. About 80-90 civilians were provided essential treatment and first aid. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, along with DC Shimla, was briefed by Army officials on the status of rescue operations at the incident site.
Army officials also distributed essential commodities like food packets, medicines, and other essential commodities to the affected civilians. However, the search and rescue dog team staged forward to Karcham. No dead bodies have been recovered so far due to the high water level and the likelihood of bodies washed downstream.
Following a cloud burst, drone search operations on the damaged property and rescue operations are going on in several parts of the state by the Indian Army, NDRF, CISF and others.
As per data available with the State Disaster Management Authority 191, Roads, including 3 national highways, are closed due to landslides and rain, a total of 294 electricity supply schemes are disrupted, and nearly 120 water supply schemes are hampered in the state.
"47 people are still missing in various parts of the state, including 36 in the Samej area in the Rampur region of Shimla district," the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said. SDMA further said that so far, 6 people have died in the state, 47 are still missing, and 11 have been safely evacuated Now, no one is stranded.
"A total of 60 houses have been completely damaged due to a flash flood and a cloud bust during the past 56 hours in the state. 35 houses have been partially damaged, 19 cow sheds also washed away, 5 motorable bridges were washed away, 9 pedestrian bridges also damaged, 10 shops, 4 schools; and 1 health infrastructure was also damaged. A total of 16 vehicles and 3 Fish farms were also washed away. Over 400 people of NDRF, SDRF, Police, Home guard, ITBP, Army, CISF and others are deputed in rescue, search and relief operations," the SDMA added.
