Tragedy in the Hills: Landslides and Floods Claim Lives in Mandi
A night of relentless rain in the Mandi district turned tragic for a family in Baragala village. Late Monday, a landslide triggered by the heavy downpour caused their home to collapse, burying five family members under the debris.
Despite the frantic efforts of villagers who rushed to help, three lives were lost. The victims have been identified as Tango Devi (64), Kamla Devi (33), and 8-month-old infant Bheem Singh. In a heartbreaking silver lining, the head of the family, Khoob Ram, and his wife, Darshanu Devi, were successfully rescued by their neighbors.
The challenging conditions in the aftermath were highlighted when Deputy Commissioner Mandi, Apoorv Devgan, visited the site on Tuesday. In a show of solidarity and determination, he completed the difficult trek to the village on foot after his own footwear was swallowed by the deep mud on the path.
The district faced further crisis as the same storm system led to a separate incident in the Dharampur area. Two individuals are reported missing after being swept away by the raging waters of the Son Khad stream.
The force of the flooding was severe enough to inundate the Dharampur bus stand, damaging approximately 20 parked HRTC buses. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who assessed the damage, stated, “A loss of approximately ten crores has been assessed as 20 buses parked in the bus stand have been damaged,” underscoring the significant financial impact of the natural disaster on public infrastructure.
The community now mourns its losses and begins the difficult task of recovery in the wake of the devastating storms.
