CHANDIGARH
Flash floods triggered by the swelling Ravi River have caused large-scale devastation in Himachal Pradesh, sweeping away schools, panchayat buildings, bridges and other infrastructure across Kangra and Chamba districts. Several villages remain cut off, while landslides have claimed four lives and left two others injured in Chamba.
In Bada Bhangal, a remote Kangra village nestled between the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges, floodwaters washed away the panchayat ghar, government schools, a civil supplies store, Ayurvedic dispensary and two bridges. Stocks of food and medicines stored inside were also destroyed. Sarpanch Mansa Ram Bhangalia, in a letter to the Kangra Deputy Commissioner, warned that over 300 residents and 150 shepherds with hundreds of livestock are stranded and face acute shortages of essentials. Both trekking routes to the village—Thamsar Pass and Kalihani Pass—have been rendered impassable, cutting off access.
Meanwhile, in Haloon village of Chamba district, the Ravi submerged large tracts of land, washing away nine houses. Fortunately, families had been evacuated beforehand. However, four deaths were reported in separate landslides. In Basodhan panchayat, a brother and sister were buried under debris, while in Bhimla panchayat, four women were struck by boulders—two fatally.
Authorities said over 50 houses in Dalhousie are at risk, with electricity, water supply and mobile connectivity disrupted for two days. Across Himachal, 534 roads remain closed, including one national highway, while power and water supply schemes face massive outages, leaving Kullu, Manali and Lahaul-Spiti cut off for the third day.
