Shimla: At least seven people were feared dead in separate incidents triggered by heavy rains and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Wednesday, officials said.
Over 25 employees working at the Malana power project in the district were also rescued from a building that was damaged by flash floods.
At Manikaran in the district, at least four people have been feared washed away and the bridge across Parvati River damaged in flash floods triggered by a cloud burst, they said.
Besides three persons are feared drowned in separate parts of Kullu district amid heavy rains.
State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Mokhta stated that four to six people have been missing after the cloudburst occurred at Chojh village in Challal panchayat of Kullu district at around 6 am.
Some camping sites were also washed away in the Kasol area with the flashflood triggered by overnight heavy rains.
The bridge connecting to the village has been damaged. Six cafes located on the river bank were also washed away in the flood.
A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions.
The results of cloudbursts can be disastrous. Cloudbursts are also responsible for flash flood creation.
In June 2013, a mid-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
The rainfall received that month was far greater than the rainfall the state usually received. Debris blocked the rivers, causing major overflow. The death toll was placed at 6,054.
(with inputs from IANS)
