Himachal cloudburst: Death toll rises to 8, rescue operations underway

Rescue operations are underway on Friday to trace about 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday.

With recovery of three more bodies, the death toll due to the flash floods in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision has increased to eight.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu along with Education Minister Rohit Thakur visited Samej on the border of Shimla and Kullu district to take stock of the situation and talk to the victims.

Over 30 people were missing after a cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev route on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Sarpara, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs.

Talking to reporters, Sukhu said 17-18 women and 8-9 children are among those missing. The rescue of people is our first priority.

The chief minister announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and also said that they would be given Rs 5,000 a month