Rescue operations are underway in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra and Kullu districts after flash floods triggered by cloudbursts swept through a hydro project site on Wednesday. So far, five bodies have been recovered from the affected area in Kangra, while search teams continue to look for three missing individuals. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with state disaster teams, police, and home guards, resumed the search efforts early Friday morning to locate those feared trapped or washed away by the sudden surge of water.

The flash floods occurred when heavy rain caused the Manuni Khad river and nearby drains to overflow, inundating the project site where workers had been temporarily sheltered. The project had been halted due to rain, but many laborers were resting in temporary camps when the waters swept across the area. According to rescued worker Lovely from Chamba district, 13 people were in the camp; five managed to run uphill to safety while the rest were caught in the floodwaters. Another laborer, Daya Kishan, recalled warning others and fleeing as the flood approached suddenly. In Kullu’s Rehla Bihal area, teams are also searching for three persons missing after a separate cloudburst incident.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma from Dharamshala has raised concerns about possible negligence, alleging that the shelters were built dangerously close to a stream. He urged authorities to investigate the circumstances that led to the workers not being relocated despite the deteriorating weather conditions. The ongoing search and rescue mission highlights the urgent need for improved safety measures in vulnerable regions prone to sudden natural disasters.