In the Mandi area, a village dog’s timely howl caused alarm as the monsoon rains continued to lash Himachal Pradesh, causing landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts. This made it possible for 20 families and 67 individuals to escape in time. On June 30, between midnight and one in the morning, debris demolished the village of Siyathi in the Dharampur area of Mandi. Around midnight, as the rain continued to pour, Narendra, a resident of Siyathi, reported that his dog, who was resting on the second floor of his home, began to bark loudly and then wail. “The barking woke me up. On my way to him, I saw a large break in the house’s wall where water had begun to seep in. Narendra remarked, “I woke everyone up by running downstairs with the dog.” Other villagers were then awakened by Narendra, who urged them to flee for their lives. People abandoned everything in search of cover because of how bad the rain was. A landslide struck the village shortly after, leveling about a dozen homes. The village’s remaining dwellings are beneath the debris from the landslide, leaving only four or five visible. For the past seven days, the survivors have been sheltering at the Naina Devi temple, which was constructed in Triyambala hamlet. In the meanwhile, the tragedy has caused despair and high blood pressure in a number of the locals.
Other villagers offered assistance after the incident, and the government is providing Rs 10,000 in aid. According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), at least 78 people have died in Himachal Pradesh since the monsoon season began on June 20. Of these, 50 perished in rain-related disasters like landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, and 28 perished in traffic accidents. The intense rainfall has already caused 16 landslides, 19 cloudburst occurrences, and 23 flash floods across the state. The Mandi district, which was especially impacted by landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, saw the highest number of fatalities. The flash floods have forced the closure of 280 highways, including 156 in Mandi. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a flash flood signal for ten districts on Monday.
