45 medicos from Kerala among hundreds stranded in rain-battered Himachal

Manali: Over hundreds of people including 47 from Kerala are stranded in Himachal Pradesh's Manali as flash floods hit the state amid the ongoing heavy rain.

House surgeons from government medical colleges in Kalamassery and Thrissur are stuck in the hill state.

Among the 45 medicos, 27 are from Kochi and 18 from Thrissur. 

Ernakulam district collector N S K Umesh also confirmed that all house surgeons from Kalamassery Government Medical College are safe.

“ The house surgeons have shared their location with us and we have forwarded it to Manali district collector. The official informed us that the young medicos are currently in the safest place. They are staying in Nasogi Woods hotel near Hidimba temple and HPWD guest house," said the district collector.

Meanwhile, the travel agency which arranged the vehicle for the house surgeons from Thrissur reported that all are safe in Manali.

K V Thomas, representative of the Kerala government in New Delhi, told Manorama News that all tourists from Kochi have been moved to safety.

At the same time, there is no information available on Yakoob from Varkala and Syed Ali from Kollam who are reportedly marooned at Tosh village in Himachal's remote Parvati valley.

'Heavy to extremely heavy' rains battered Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, triggering landslides and flash floods, inundating many areas, washing away roads, vehicles and houses alongside leaving several persons dead. Cloudbursts triggered flash floods, latest reports said.

State authorities have ordered the closure of schools and colleges for two days. As many as 765 roads including the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway were closed following the torrential rains. Hundreds of people were stranded in different parts of the state, including in Chandrataal in Lahaul and Spiti and near Sadhupul in Solan district.

Twenty major landslides and 17 flash floods have been reported in the past 48 hours; over 30 houses have been completely and partially damaged. All major rivers including Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Swan and Chenab are in spate, officials said.

In Himachal Pradesh, there were also reports of shops being swept away in Manali, and vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba.

(With PTI inputs)