Cloudburst in Himachal's Mandi wipes out family, 10-month-old girl found alive by neighbours
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Cloudburst in Himachal's Mandi wipes out family, 10-month-old girl found alive by neighbours")
Cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district Photograph: (PTI)
The infant, Neetika Devi, was found alone in her home by a neighbour, Prem Singh, hours after the disaster struck.
A devastating cloudburst tore through Talwara village in Parwara panchayat of Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district earlier this week, probably wiping out an entire family of three, leaving a 10-month-old baby girl as the sole survivor. The infant, Neetika Devi, was found alone in her home by a neighbour, Prem Singh, hours after the disaster struck. Her father, Ramesh Kumar (31), who had rushed out to divert the gushing water, his body was later recovered from the debris. Mother, Radha Devi (24), and grandmother, Purnu Devi (59), who went out searching for him, remain missing. Search operations are still underway.
Neetika is now in the care of her aunt. “The baby is with us,” Ramesh’s cousin Balwant told PTI, adding that the sub-divisional magistrate has assured a bank account will be opened in the child's name for public contributions. Authorities have also extended Rs. 25,000 in immediate financial aid to her guardians.
Widespread Destruction Across Mandi
The cloudburst was one of ten similar incidents across Mandi, areas such as Pawara, Thunag, Baidshad, Kanda and Murad were badly affected. So far, 14 deaths have been confirmed and 31 people remain missing, across the Mandi district. Roads, bridges, water supply schemes and power infrastructure have been severely damaged. According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), 248 roads in Mandi and 489 power transformers statewide are out of service. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the estimated losses due to the rains so far stand at around Rs 566 crore, though the chief minister maintained the figure was close to Rs 700 crore as data was still being compiled.
Rescue and Relief Underway
Rescue operations are ongoing with support from NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, police and the army. Over 300 people, including 278 from Mandi, have been evacuated so far. Authorities have urged residents to avoid vulnerable areas and issued warnings for further heavy rainfall and flash floods. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced a special relief package for rebuilding homes, and compensation for livestock losses.
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