Drone visual of the aftermath of flash floods triggered by cloudburst causing widespread destruction, at Thunag in Mandi on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The ability of a dog to sense danger beforehand saved 60 precious lives in Mandi’s Siyathi village on the night of June 30 when monsoon fury struck several parts of the district.
Fifteen people died and five were injured while a search is on to trace the 27 people who went missing after 10 cloudbursts, followed by flash floods and landslide hit Mandi region on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1.
Several properties, including 1,184 houses, suffered extensive damage, while 780 livestock also perished in the disaster.
Recalling the night, a villager said it was raining heavily, and a pet dog, who was sleeping on the second floor of a multi-storey house, started barking and howling loudly.
Awaken by the barking, the dog’s owner, Narender, went to check on him, only to find a big crack in the wall of the house from where water was seeping.
Immediately, Narender raised an alarm and woke up others in the area. Over 60 people ran for safety, leaving behind everything, and in no time, a landslide turned the village into rubble, the villager said.
Nadda visits disaster-hit Mandi
The Union government will leave no stone unturned to provide relief to the disaster-affected people of Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi and rehabilitate them, BJP president J.P. Nadda said after visiting the areas ravaged by cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides.
Mr. Nadda visited Mandi along with former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal.
“The Central government is committed to providing relief to every affected person,” said Mr. Nadda, the Union Heath Minister, and directed the officers concerned to ensure there was no laxity in relief and rehabilitation operations.
He conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and assured them that the Centre was working in coordination with the state government.
Asserting that the Central government stood with the people of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Nadda said that he visited the State thrice during the 2023 disaster and brought assistance of ₹3,146 crore.
Recently, ₹2,006 crore was released under the National Disaster Relief Fund, he said, adding that over 1 lakh houses have been constructed under PM Awas Yojana and ₹3,000 crore have been allocated under PM Gramin Sadak Yojana.
According to State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) data, 174 roads, including 136 in the worst-hit Mandi district, were closed while 162 transformers and 755 water supply schemes were affected till Wednesday evening, with the State suffering losses to the tune of around ₹740 crore.
Published – July 10, 2025 07:18 am IST
