Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India] July 2 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that he spoke to the Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on Tuesday evening, and informed him that a 'lot of people have lost their homes' and roads were damaged after a series of cloudbursts and flash floods devastated parts of Himachal Pradesh.

Thakur told ANI a day earlier, 'I spoke to the CM in the evening and informed them that, despite numerous incidents, the pace of our preparation remains slow... The damages are huge, and a lot of people lost their homes and cattle... SDRF teams have reached, but the NDRF teams are yet to reach...'

Thakur confirmed the alarming situation and said, 'Damages due to the monsoon are focused in the parts of Mandi, Kullu and Kasol... A lot of areas are out of contact. Roads are damaged and the mobile network is unavailable.'

Several areas were cut off due to damaged roads and collapsed communication networks in the region.

He informed that in his Nachan assembly constituency, nine people were missing, and three dead bodies were recovered. 'In my constituency, five dead bodies have been recovered... and 12 people are missing. There is an indication of two deaths from Thunag,' he added.

The incessant rainfall and a series of cloudbursts and flash floods have devastated parts of Himachal Pradesh over the past 19 hours, leaving five people dead, 16 missing and causing extensive damage to infrastructure and property. According to the Himachal Pradesh State Emergency Operation Centre (HP-SEOC), 332 individuals have been successfully rescued in coordinated operations across multiple districts.

Severe floods were experienced in the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi following heavy rainfall on Wednesday. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red alert regarding the same. (ANI)