Flash flood in Himachal Pradesh kills 3 of family, monsoon toll 170

KULLU: Three members of a family died, and dozens of houses and vehicles were damaged in a flash flood that hit Jail Road area of Himachal Pradesh's Mandi town early Tuesday. The death toll in the state this monsoon has risen to 170, with 45 of them in Mandi district alone.

This is the first time in decades that Mandi town has seen such death and devastation.With the weather department issuing an orange alert for heavy rainfall, the administration has ordered all educational institutions to stay closed on Wednesday. The Chandigarh-Manali highway is blocked, yet again, due to a landslide. Following heavy rainfall since Monday evening, a nullah in Mandi town turned into a raging river of mud and debris around 3.30am, trapping residents in their sleep. Floodwaters and muck entered houses and shops, and the mud piled up several feet high. Jail Road, Hospital Road, Sain Mohalla, and surrounding residential areas within a 5km radius were devastated. According to locals, when the flood roared in, Amarpreet Singh, his parents Sapna and Darshan Singh, and a relative, Balbir Singh, ran out of their home to move their autos to higher ground.However, all four were swept away in the gushing torrent. Only Darshan survived and is now hospitalised. Mandi deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan said the bodies of Amarpreet and Dalbir were found but Sapna was still missing. All four are family members of Krishna, a former councillor.Parts of Mandi town are covered in mud several feet high, enough to half-bury SUVs. Cars were slammed against each other or piled up. Houses were smashed to rubble. As many as 32 people stranded in their houses were rescued.