Toll in Himachal Pradesh flash floods rises to five

The toll from a flash flood near a hydroelectric project site in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district rose to five on Thursday after three more bodies were recovered by the State Disaster Response Force.

About 15 to 20 workers at a labour colony near the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site at Khaniyara near Dharamshala were feared to have been swept away on Wednesday after a surge in the water level of the Manuni river.

The project work had been suspended following heavy rainfall and the workers were resting in temporary shelters near the site when the floodwater flowed towards the labour colony, officials said. The workers were swept away in the surge, they added.