A broken highway, partially destroyed houses, and a much calmer river—these were the scenes from the foothills of Manali on Wednesday morning. Drone footage captured the devastation caused by the flood, which swept away multiple bridges, cars, and claimed many human lives.
From the video, however, it looked like the rage had finally come to an end, with clouds breaking up and patches of blue sky becoming visible.
#WATCH | Aftermath of the flood that ravaged Manali in Himachal Pradesh due to incessant heavy rainfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/z7dDd5qVSB— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2023
Officials have confirmed that vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Shimla National Highway (National Highway 5) has resumed on Tuesday but is limited to a single lane following a landslide. Both the Chandigarh-Shimla national highway and the Chandigarh-Manali national highway were temporarily closed due to landslides.
Although a portion of the Manali-Chandigarh highway near the Six Mile area in Mandi was affected by a landslide, partial connectivity has now been restored. However, the highway still remains closed in some sections. The closure of the highway resulted in the stranding of numerous commuters, including tourists, in Mandi district of the state for several hours.
While speaking to news agency ANI, Neha, a tourist from Punjab’s Ludhiana said: “…We want to go home. We were scheduled to return on Sunday but we are stuck due to flood."
#WATCH | Neha, a tourist from, Ludhiana, Punjab says, "…We want to go home. We were scheduled to return on Sunday but we are stuck due to flood…"Another tourist, Sanjeev Arora says, "We are here in Manali since 5th July. The main track is damaged. We have been trying to go… https://t.co/CZfHUREjT4 pic.twitter.com/eMu505qDpW
— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2023
Another tourist, Sanjeev Arora says, “We are here in Manali since 5th July. The main track is damaged. We have been trying to go back for the past two days. The internet services and electricity supply is disrupted…"
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukku announced that partial connectivity of the Manali to Chandigarh highway has been restored. Over 2,500 vehicles carrying stranded tourists were released from Kullu and Manali via Aut. He took to his official Twitter account to inform the public, stating: “I am personally stationed in Kullu tonight to oversee evacuation and restoration operations."
Furthermore, he reassured everyone that all the tourists are safe and will reach their respective destinations by tomorrow evening, as long as the weather remains favorable.