Three killed, one missing as flash flood wreaks havoc in Himachal's Mandi

Mandi (Himachal Pradesh): Three people lost their lives, and one woman is reported missing after heavy rains lashed Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district late Monday night, triggering a flood-like situation and widespread damage, officials said on Tuesday.Speaking to ANI, District Commissioner (DC) Apoorv Devgan said, "The stretch of jail road has been affected by heavy rain. 3 people have died in the area near Jail Road. One woman is missing. The search operation by the police, NDRF and Home Guard teams is underway. The roads are also being cleared. Many vehicles have been piled up near the hospital. Casualties have been reported, along with that, many houses have been damaged."He added, "We have set up a relief camp in Vipasha Sadan. Officials from the electricity, PWD, Jal Shakti, and other departments are working together to provide relief."A flood was observed in various parts of Mandi following heavy rainfall in the city. The local police, NDRF, and Home Guards team were deployed for relief and rescue work.Continuous heavy rainfall since late night yesterday has disrupted life in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. The region has been experiencing incessant rain since 11 PM, resulting in a flood-like situation across various parts of the town.One of the worst-affected areas is the Zonal Hospital Mandi, where there is excessive water accumulation and overflow from nearby drains.

The main access road to the hospital has been closed.Reports from local administration confirm multiple landslides in and around Mandi town, disrupting traffic and endangering residents living in landslide-prone areas. Debris from these landslides has blocked key internal roads, adding to the chaos.The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (NH-3) has been blocked at multiple points between Mandi and Kullu, making the situation even more dire.Several vehicles are stranded, and long queues have been reported from various choke points along the route.Earlier, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) informed about the widespread disruption in the state, where 200 roads remain blocked, 62 power transformers are disrupted, and 110 water supply schemes were affected as of the evening of July 28, due to the ongoing heavy rains across the state.The total death toll in the state during the 2025 monsoon season (from June 20 to July 28) has reached 164. Of these, 90 deaths are attributed to rain-related causes such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drowning, and electrocution, while 74 people have lost their lives in road accidents, according to official data.District-wise, Mandi has recorded the highest number of fatalities (32), followed by Kangra (24) and Chamba (17). The devastation includes not only human casualties but also significant damage to homes, livestock, and public property, with over Rs 1,52,311 lakh in economic losses reported so far.