STORY: Rains wreak havoc in India states, at least 6 dead
DATELINE: June 27, 2023
LENGTH: 0:00:54
LOCATION: New Delhi
CATEGORY: OTHERS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of India gate
2. various of water flow over the road
3. various of traffic in Himachal Pradesh

STORYLINE:

At least six persons died and 10 were injured in rains-related incidents in India's northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh over the past few days, confirmed a senior official of the state's disaster management authority over the phone on Monday.

He said efforts were being made to assess the overall loss of human lives and property in the state due to floods, and that the final estimates would be known in a day or two.
   
All the deceased were locals. "The deaths occurred due to human fault as the deceased's vehicles got stuck in gushing waters. Perhaps they didn't follow the directions laid out by district administrations in such situations," said the official.
   
Besides, Kullu and Manali's areas witnessed cloudbursts, leading to a floods-like situation. Many people have been rendered homeless after their houses were either washed away or inundated, he said.
   
Giving details, Principal Secretary of Himachal Pradesh Disaster Management Onkar Chand Sharma said, "Due to heavy rains six people have died till now, around 10 people are injured, and 303 animals have died."
   
The loss due to rain is expected to be 30 million Indian Rupees (around 365,720 U.S. dollars), with 124 roads being damaged, which includes two national highways, and the actual loss of property is much higher, he added.
   
Sharma further noted that 151 distribution transformers (DTRs) were disrupted and six water supply schemes were affected so far.
   
The incessant rains over the past few days have led to landslides in various parts of the state, leading to many kilometers-long traffic jams.
   
A large number of tourists have been left stranded in their vehicles on various highways, particularly the Chandigarh-Manali and Mandi-Kullu highways since Monday morning.
   
"Several tourists have been rescued with the help of the locals. We request all the tourists to follow all the necessary guidelines issued by the state government and Disaster Management," added Sharma.
   
The situation in the flood-hit northeastern state of Assam is improving, but hundreds of thousands of people are still affected by the deluge.
   
More than 850 villages are facing floods-like situations in the state, said media reports.
 
In Mumbai, various incidents of house collapse have been reported over the past 24 hours. On Sunday, two people died in a building collapse on St. Braz Road, near Nanavati Hospital in the Vile Parle Gaothan area of Mumbai.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New Delhi.
(XHTV)