Six people have died after several trees were uprooted and fell due to strong winds on vehicles and food stalls in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu this evening. A relief and rescue operation is underway.
The incident took place in Kullu’s Manikaran, a popular tourist destination. Videos showed vehicles parked near food stalls next to the mountain. Vehicles were crushed by tree branches that fell on them, and a man was heard saying, “Maa” (mom) and “chale gaye, chale gaye” (they are gone, they are gone) while crying and standing next to a Kayal tree that had fallen on a car.
In the same video, a man was seen taking a woman who had blood stains on her shirt.
The incident took place near the Manikaran Sahib Gurudwara. Manikaran is at an altitude of 1,829 metres and approximately 40 km from Kullu.
Earlier this week, the weather department issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in four districts of Himachal Pradesh. The Meteorological Department issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (40-50 kmph) in the districts of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi on Thursday.
