CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu heads for Kangra, flood victims airlifted to safety

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Kangra near Pong Dam in the Beas river, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday as heavy rains continued to batter the state.Indian Army columns have been deployed for flood relief operations in Shimla, Fatehpur and Indora areas of the State. The death toll in rain-related incidents in the State has risen to over 60 with the chief minster stating that the State has suffered a loss of around Rs 10,000 crore. “It will take around one year for us to redevelop the infrastructure of the state" Chief Minster Sukhu said.

The chief minister had earlier today taken to X (previously known as Twitter) to share a video of people being evacuated. “More than 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam, as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir. Evacuation operation is still on as more people are being evacuated.” Rescue operations continued in the Indora sub-divison of Kangra district today, to rescue and provide relief to victims of the flood.

The affected people are being airlifted and shifted to safer places, officials said on Wednesday. Talking to reporters in Shimla, Chief Minister Sukhu said that he was on his way to Kangra. «I am on the way to Kangra.

We have evacuated over 650 people there. Around 100 people are still trapped in Kangra, rescue operation is underway. Another body has been recovered in Shimla.” Five to seven houses collapsed in Lalpani in the Krishna Nagar area of Shimla on Tuesday afternoon following a landslide.