Shillong, August 25: The 14th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) successfully rescued 51 people stranded in two Himachal Pradesh villages following a cloudburst, as reported by officials.
As per IANS, upon receiving information from the Sub-divisional Magistrate of Balichowki regarding villagers trapped after a cloudburst in the Kholanal gram panchayat near Hanogi temple, the NDRF team swiftly responded. Due to road blockages caused by landslides, the team covered eight kilometers on foot from Hanogi to the disaster site.
The team, despite facing challenging terrain, managed to reach Shehnu Gouni village where 51 individuals, including 20 women and 15 children, were trapped. These individuals were meticulously rescued and subsequently shifted to Hanogi village.
Simultaneously, another team, accompanied by the Sub-divisional Magistrate, tehsildar, and Block Development Officer, traversed approximately 15 kilometers on foot to Kholanal village. Their assessment confirmed the successful evacuation of all stranded residents to safe locations.
In related events, Thalaut village in Mandi faced severe house cracks due to torrential rainfall, forcing around 35 families to evacuate and find refuge elsewhere. Villagers attributed the perilous situation to the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) reckless hill-cutting activities, rendering the area susceptible to landslides.
One resident expressed, “The houses had developed minor cracks due to a landslide last year. In recent rain, the cracks widened, making our houses unsafe. So we moved to nearby places.”