Himalayan rescue: Students carry pregnant teachers 11-km to safety in flood-hit Mandi, both deliver healthy babies

Mandi floods (file photo)

In an extraordinary display of courage, students and staff from the College of Horticulture and Forestry in Thunag, Mandi district, carried two heavily pregnant teachers to safety through storm-battered Himalayan terrain, ensuring the birth of two healthy babies, The Tribune reported.

The region, devastated by relentless rains, saw roads severed, power lines downed and over 115 homes damaged in Seraj. With five lives already lost in Thunag alone, time was running out for Dr Neha Thakur and Dr Sarita, both nearing their due dates and stranded without medical access.

The Tribune’s report highlighted that on July 2, with emergency services unable to reach the remote campus, students and faculty took matters into their own hands. They fashioned makeshift palanquins and embarked on an 11-kilometre trek from Thunag to Bagsyad, navigating landslides, swollen streams and crumbling paths.

“They not only carried the palanquins but also provided unwavering moral support,” The Tribune noted, crediting students including Prikshit Verma, Shivang and Tushar Thakur among the rescuers. Both teachers walked stretches where the path was too narrow even for stretchers, displaying remarkable resilience.

The mission’s success was reportedly confirmed when Dr Neha delivered a boy on July 8 at Sundernagar Civil Hospital, followed by Dr Sarita’s baby girl on July 12 at Hamirpur’s Sai Hospital. Authorities acknowledged that without the intervention, the outcomes could have been tragic.

Relentless monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across Himachal Pradesh, with official figures revealing 98 fatalities and property damage exceeding Rs 770 crore since the season began. According to the State Disaster Management Authority, 57 of these deaths occurred between 20 June and 13 July alone - victims of landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drownings and other rain-related accidents, including fatal falls from unstable terrain.

Mandi district has borne the brunt of the catastrophe, reporting 21 deaths. Kangra follows with 14 lives lost, while Kullu, Chamba and Hamirpur recorded 10, 9 and 8 fatalities respectively. The grim tally underscores the escalating human toll of this year’s deluge, which has reduced roads to rubble and left communities cut off.