The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, August 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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3 kids washed away in Kangra
Tribune Reporters and agencies

Shimla, August 15
Four persons, including three children, drowned in swirling river waters, taking the toll in the current monsoon in Himachal Pradesh to 16, even as there was some respite from the heavy rain today which led to the restoration of rail and air traffic after four days.

Three children - Sultan Shah (10), Led Shah (8) and Shaukat Ali (13) - drowned while having a bath in the Chaki river when the water level suddenly rose in the Nurpur area of Kangra district.

A postman, Dalip Singh, drowned in the river in the Nauradhar area of Sirmaur district where the rain has damaged several houses and two water mills.

However, there was some respite today from the heavy rains lashing the state since August 11 which led to the restoration of rail traffic on the Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge and Joginder Nagar-Pathankote meter gauge which had been blocked due to landslides along the track.

Delhi-Shimla and Delhi-Kulu flights also resumed after four days.

But the Hindustan-Tibet road remained blocked beyond Malling and several areas of Chamba, Kulu, Sirmaur and Shimla districts were still cut off due to landslides at numerous places on link roads.

KULU: Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary and AICC member A.N. Vidyarthi demanded that the Himachal Pradesh Government should restore the vehicular traffic on the Manali-Kaza road as the only available road is blocked due to landslides at various places from Gramphu to Kunzam pass due to heavy rains during the past two days.

JAMMU: The Amarnath yatra was suspended on Thursday following a heavy rain which triggered landslides on the route since yesterday. Nearly 2,500 pilgrims are stranded in Jammu city, sources said. The yatra will resume tomorrow, they said.

YAMUNANAGAR: Due to extensive rain in the catchment area of Himachal Pradesh, the Yamuna has been flooded, resulting in the flooding of a number of villages including Bibipur, Bakarpur, Mukarabpur, Bhogpur, Abepur and Lapra. The Mandewala bandh in Yamunanagar district which was under construction, too, was extensively damaged.