Flash floods in Himachal Pradesh; 18 Malayalees among stranded tourists, demand immediate intervention

SHIMLA: 18 Malayalees are among those stranded in the flash floods in Himachal Pradesh. A group of 25 people is stranded in Kalpa. They had come to Kalpa from Spiti. They have been stranded in the area for two days. Due to heavy rain and landslides, travel by road is not possible. Some in the group have health issues also.

Three of the 18 Malayalees are from Kochi. They left Delhi on August 25. The Malayalees have demanded immediate intervention to reach Shimla due to the shortage of essential goods including food and water. One of the stranded Malayali identified as Jisan Sao of Kochi, said they are presently safe and have been able to contact the authorities.

Following the onset of monsoon, there has been heavy rain and landslides in Himachal Pradesh. It is reported that many shops and farms have been destroyed. There is a major crisis in Himachal Pradesh due to continuous cloudbursts and floods.

Meantime, Chennai also witnessed cloudbursts. Chennai city witnessed heavy rain last night as well. Officials said some flights to Chennai airport were diverted to Bengaluru. There was heavy rain in Chennai from 10 pm to 12 on Saturday. North Chennai also witnessed heavy rain.

Manali, New Manali Town and Wimco Nagar recorded heavy rain of 27 cm, 26 cm and 23 cm respectively. Manali (Division 19) recorded 106.2 mm of rain till 11 pm on Saturday and 126.6 mm of rain between 11 pm and 12 am, the local meteorological center said.