Himachal cloudburst: Rahul speaks with Sukhu to take stock of situation

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condoled the loss of lives in the cloudburst incidents in Himachal Pradesh, and said that he had spoken with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to take stock of the "difficult situation".

Three people were killed and about 40 went missing after two separate incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses and roads and left two hydro power projects damaged, officials said on Thursday (August 1).

"The news of the death and disappearance of many people due to cloudburst and heavy rainfall in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu is extremely saddening," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

"I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families in this difficult time,"the former Congress chief said in a post in Hindi on X.

Gandhi said he had taken stock of this difficult situation by talking to Sukhu.

"He (Sukhu) informed that he himself is visiting these sites of incidents and during this time, the NDRF, the SDRF and the state administration are continuously involved with commitment in relief and rescue operations in this hour of crisis," Gandhi said.

He hoped that all the missing people would be found as soon as possible.

In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "The news of several deaths and a large number of people going missing due to cloudburst in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu of Himachal Pradesh is heartbreaking." "May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families," she said.

Many teams of the NDRF, the SDRF and state administration are engaged in relief and rescue work with full capacity, she noted.

"I pray to God to keep all the people of Himachal safe," Priyanka Gandhi added.