Dog turns saviour, wakes up village in Himachal, saves 67 lives before landslide flattens homes
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Dog turns saviour, wakes up village in Himachal, saves 67 lives before landslide flattens homes")
A village in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh after landslides. Photograph: (PTI)
The rain was so intense that people left everything behind for shelter. Shortly after, the village was hit by a landslide, and nearly a dozen houses were flattened. Only four-five houses are now visible in the village; the rest are under the landslide debris.
Heavy monsoon rains lashed India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, but amidst this inclement weather a dog turned out to be a saviour as he barked incessantly till he woke up the residents of a village in Mandi district, alerting them of the impending danger and saving 67 lives. The residents of Syathi village in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district say they are indebted to the dog who saved their lives as he alerted them in time before a flash flood struck in the early hours of July 1, enabling 67 people from 20 families to escape just in time.
The villagers say the dog started barking loudly at around 1.30 am till he made people wake up and step out of their homes.
‘Woken up by thunderous sounds and barking of dog’
“I was woken up by loud thunderous sounds and the barking of a dog. It was raining heavily and the dog wouldn’t stop barking. I instantly realised something was about to happen and started screaming and waking up the villagers,” said Dholu Ram, a resident.
“I ran to each house to wake them up, and the dog accompanied me all along,” said Dholu.
Narendra, a villager, said the dog sleeping on the second floor of his house suddenly started barking loudly and then howling around midnight, as the rain kept pouring.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
“I woke up from the barking. As I went to him, I saw a big crack in the wall of the house and water had started to enter. I ran downstairs with the dog and woke everyone up,” he added.
People left everything behind for shelter
The rain was so intense that people left everything behind for shelter. Shortly after, the village was hit by a landslide, and nearly a dozen houses were flattened. Only four-five houses are now visible in the village; the rest are under the landslide debris.
At least 78 people have died in Himachal Pradesh since the onset of monsoon on June 20, out of which 50 people died in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, while 28 died in road accidents, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said.
