Vehicles swept, roads blocked: Heavy rains, snowfall trigger landslides in Himachal

Vehicles were stranded in deep sludge after flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu. (Image: PTI)

Several vehicles were swept away or trapped in deluge as flash floods were triggered by torrential rain in lower areas of the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. The rain also triggered landslides, with over hundreds of roads getting blocked.

A massive landslide triggered by incessant rains and cloudbursts at Rokaru (Multhan) in Kangra district damaged several vehicles and endangered 12 houses.

#WATCH | Kullu, Himachal Pradesh | Visuals from Kullu district, where torrential rain in lower areas for the last 24 hours caused flash floods and landslides. Efforts to retrieve damaged vehicles are underway.The administration has issued an alert to the people living in the pic.twitter.com/5hhif7eaVm

ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2025

The affected families have been relocated to safer places and restoration works are in progress, said Kangra Deputy Commissioner, Hem Raj.

According to the Met Department, light snowfall is likely at isolated places in the districts of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur as well as over the higher reaches of Kullu district, due to a Western disturbance.

The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority said on Friday that owing to snowfall and rain, a total of 583 roads in the state, including five National Highways, were blocked, ANI reported.

In addition, a total of 2,263 distribution transformers (DTRs) are down, affecting power supply to numerous areas.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday urged people to stay away from rivers and streams as parts of the state, including the district of Kullu, battled heavy rains and snowfall.

"I have been taking stock of the situation since morning. All people are requested to be cautious and follow the guidelines issued by the administration. Stay away from rivers and streams," Sukhu said while talking to reporters, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, intense snowfall was reported in the upper Himalayan regions of Lahaul and Spiti. The Meterological Centre in Shimla issued an alert for heavy rain and snowfall in many parts of the State, including the districts of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi.