Woman Swept Away As Cloudburst Hits Lahaul-Spiti; Darcha-Shinku La Road Closed

A woman was killed and a vehicle buried in debris when a fresh cloudburst triggered a flash flood near Sangam Nullah in the Kaza area of Lahaul and Spiti district on Friday night. The storm also swept away a bridge on the Darcha-Shinku La road.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre in Shimla, the victim, Yeshe Zangmo, was carried away by the floodwaters, and her body was recovered later. The vehicle that was buried had no passengers inside.

This incident follows recent cloudbursts that caused flash floods in Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu districts, resulting in eight deaths and 45 people missing.

The Border Roads Organisation is working to restore traffic on the Darcha-Shinku La road. The Lahaul-Spiti District Disaster Management Authority reported: “The bridge, located 16 km from Darcha on the Darcha-Shinku La road, has been damaged by the cloudburst, causing the road closure. Repairs may take up to three days.”

Rescue efforts were underway in Samej, Rampur sub-division of Shimla district, where drones were used to search for missing persons following the flash flood on Wednesday night.

Earlier on Saturday, CISF personnel recovered people’s belongings from homes in Samej. CISF head constable Rajesh Kumar stated, “We are retrieving properties trapped in houses after the recent disaster.”

Due to continuous rain, a landslide has cut off Bandrol village from Kullu.

Traffic on National Highway-5 resumed on Saturday morning after debris from a landslide near Mukam Dattayar truck lay bay was cleared with JCB machines. Long vehicle queues were observed on the Kullu-Manali bypass road as parts of the Kullu-Manali highway had been washed away in the August 1 cloudburst.

Special Secretary for disaster management, DC Rana, said, “Thursday’s incident primarily affected Samej in Rampur, Bagipul in Kullu, and Paddar in Mandi district. These areas were hit hardest by the cloudburst. On Thursday, 53 people were reported missing. By Friday, six bodies had been recovered, but 45 individuals remain unaccounted for.”