Cloudburst causes devastation in Manali, blocking key routes and damaging infrastructure
A severe cloudburst late last night caused extensive destruction above Manali, a popular tourist destination in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district. The area of Palchan, near Anjani Mahadev and close to Solanganala, was hit particularly hard, resulting in significant damage and widespread fear among the villagers.
The floodwaters triggered by the cloudburst caused a house to collapse in Palchan and inflicted substantial damage on a local power project situated near the river.
The Manali-Leh highway, accessible via the Atal tunnel, is currently impassable due to debris, including large rocks, blocking the route. Local Sub Divisional Magistrate Raman Sharma confirmed that vehicles are stranded on both sides, with no clear timeline for when the road will be cleared. Heavy machinery has been deployed to address the blockage, but it remains uncertain when the road will reopen. The Rohtang tunnel connection between Lahaul Valley and Manali is also cut off.
Images reveal that debris flows are also affecting the Solang bridge, which connects the area with Palchan.
Emergency response teams, including officials from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), are on-site working to restore the road and assess the damage.
This disaster follows a similar cloudburst on Saturday in Retua village, Sirmaur district, which resulted in one fatality and significant damage, causing widespread panic as torrents of water and debris swept through the area.
