1 hurt, 4 stranded as flash flood hits Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur; Army steps in to help

Indian Express

4 days ago

A flash flood struck Hojis Lungpa Nala in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Wednesday night, washing away a bridge across the Sutlej River, injuring a person, and leaving four others stranded.
The deluge was triggered by a cloudburst in the higher reaches of the Rishi Dogri Valley. The site was an active road construction zone under the Central Public Works Department, the Indian Army said.
More than a dozen sheds built for workers and officials engaged in the road construction were destroyed, and heavy machinery, including four trucks and a few JCBs, was washed away in the incident.
'Four people were stuck on one side of the seasonal rivulet when the flash flood hit. They were located through the drones by the Indian Army. Other workers managed to run towards safe locations before the Army was called for assistance,' Amit Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, said.
The Army supplied food and other necessary items to the four stranded employees of the road construction company using drones, Sharma said. 'They will be rescued by afternoon,' he added.
The Indian Army said on Thursday that its swift response had averted a potential tragedy at the site. 'On receiving an urgent request from the Superintendent of Police, Kinnaur, the Army immediately mobilised a 'Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)' column. Braving darkness, fast currents, and unstable terrain, the team reached the location and discovered four civilians stranded on the far bank,' a defence spokesperson said.
A senior Army officer privy to the rescue operation said the HADR team illuminated the area to aid night rescue operations. 'They also guided the stranded civilians to higher and safer ground and evacuated the injured individual to Regional Hospital, Reckong Peo,' the officer said.
The Army said it also deployed a Logistics Drone High Altitude (LDHA) system to ferry essential items like eatables and coconut water across the floodwaters to help the stranded people through the night.
Meanwhile, purported videos of the incident showed people running towards safety before the flash flood hit.
Since the outset of the monsoon this year, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed over 150 deaths and infrastructure losses worth approximately Rs 2,500 crore.