Tragic Discovery: Missing Family Members Found Buried After Cloudburst In Himachal Pradesh

According to an official statement released on Thursday, five family members who were reported missing following a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur have been discovered buried under debris. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported that the incident occurred at Village Malagi Dadiyat, Aauli, Tehsil Paonta Sahib, District Sirmaur. This unfortunate event led to the disappearance of 5 members of Kuldeep Kamar's family.

The cloudburst, occurring amidst the current weather conditions, resulted in an increase in the Giri river's water levels. In the ongoing monsoon season since June 24, the cumulative death toll due to rain, floods, and landslides in the hill state has reached 223.

Himachal Pradesh has witnessed significant losses amounting to around ₹8,000 crore due to recent floods, as stated in the official release. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has been actively overseeing restoration efforts across the state. Sukhu termed the floods as the most substantial catastrophe experienced by the state in the last 50 years. He mentioned that the Union government has released ₹189 crore out of the ₹315 crore pending under the National Disaster Relief Fund, which had been delayed due to audit objections.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.4 shook the Lahaul and Spiti districts. The National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 5km.

The NCS shared the earthquake's details on their official channel, indicating that it had a magnitude of 3.4 and occurred on August 9, 2023, at 23:20:41 IST. The earthquake's epicenter was located in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India, with coordinates given as Lat: 32.30 and Long: 78.47. The earthquake's depth was recorded at 5 km.