Himachal Pradesh: Devastating cloudburst claims 50 lives, says state minister

Around 50 people are feared dead following cloudburst incidents in Himachal Pradesh, according to state minister Vikramaditya Singh. The official toll will be confirmed once the search and rescue operations are completed.

Singh stated that the primary focus of the government is on retrieving bodies and restoring connectivity in the severely affected areas. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted continued heavy rain for Himachal Pradesh until August 7. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced a financial aid of ₹50,000 for each family impacted by the flash floods.

The IMD has also issued a red alert for Gujarat, West Madhya Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, and Meghalaya for today. Additionally, the department has warned of isolated, extremely heavy rainfall in Madhya Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa, and Meghalaya. Thunderstorms with lightning are predicted in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, and Bihar.

In Maharashtra, a red alert is in place for Satara, with predictions of extremely heavy rain in Palghar and Pune districts. For the next few days, heavy rainfall is expected to continue across various regions, including Coastal Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Rayalaseema.

Kerala, still recovering from the devastating Wayanad landslide that claimed over 300 lives, is expected to experience heavy rainfall at isolated places until August 5.