14 feared dead in flash flood, landslide in HP's Mandi

Shimla: One person was killed and 13 others were feared dead in a landslide and a flash flood triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, officials said on Saturday. Three people were also killed after their house collapsed following a landslide triggered by rains in the state's Chamba district on Saturday morning, officials said.

In Mandi, the body of a girl was recovered about half a km away from her house in Baghi Nullah on Mandi-Katola-Prashar road on Friday night, while five members of her family were washed away, state disaster management department officials said.

Several families left their houses located between Baghi to Old Katola areas after cloud burst and took shelter at safe places, the department added. Besides, eight members of another family are also feared buried under the debris of their house following a landslide at Kashan village in Gohar development block, the department added.  However, the bodies have not been retrieved yet, it said.

Several roads in Mandi district have also been blocked after flash floods and multiple landslides. Several vehicles were damaged and a number of villagers were stuck in their houses as water entered their houses and shops at Balh, Sadar, Thunag, Mandi and Lamathach after a flash flood.