Real-time stories of heartbreak, courage, survival, and unimaginable pain continue to pour in from Seraj in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, where a series of cloudbursts and relentless rains have unleashed devastation, leaving behind haunting memories of nature’s fury ravaging the once-tranquil valley.
Amid broken dreams, family members swept away by the flash flood, houses tossed up in the flash flood water or buried under the mountains of debris, and hopes about lost dear ones coming alive have also faded.
Even as search, rescue, and rehabilitation measures are underway on a war footing, grief and despair are writ large on the faces of survivors.
Family after family mourns the loss of loved ones—children orphaned or swept away, the elders buried under debris, and homes reduced to rubble.
Amid the chaos, heart-rending stories of survival and courage emerge: a young girl pulled alive from beneath collapsed mud walls and an 11-month-old child found miraculously safe even as her father, Ramesh Kumar, 31, his wife, Radha Devi, 25, and her grandmother, Purnu Devi, 60, got swept away by the fury.
On the fateful night of June 30, the water had started entering their house following a cloudburst. Ramesh Kumar went out to see how the water could be diverted to save the family from being swept away. His wife and mother also came to his support, leaving Nitika behind. None returned. It was later that Ramesh Kumar’s body was recovered. Others are missing.
“It’s quite an emotional issue, and we are trying to handle it with sensitivity. There is a lot of support outpouring. Several families, including NRIs, are offering to adopt the child. Right now, the child is with her aunt, a close family relation. They are not ready to part with the child for adoption anywhere else.” Said Deputy Commissioner Mandi Aproov Devgan.
In one remarkable instance, the story about an unsung hero—a vigilant dog called ‘Rocky’ at village Syathi saving an entire village population of 67 people, from 27 families, through its frantic howls and barks—is nothing short of extraordinary.
As the thunderstorm and cloudburst unleashed a torrent of water while the entire village was asleep, the dog had sensed the danger and started barking relentlessly. It even ran from house to house, waking up villagers from their sleep. Within minutes, people left their homes in panic, and the flash flood swept away everything, leaving no trace of the village.
Daizy village, perhaps the worst-affected, stands almost erased, and families are now lodged in the shelter homes. The village has turned into a ghastly site with debris and boulders. Here, Inder Singh lost his wife and two daughters.
“The cloudbursts, approximately 10-12, had struck Seraj on the night of June 30–July 1. Torrential rain—nearly 1,900% above normal—triggered massive flash floods and landslides, sweeping away roads, bridges, power lines, orchards, houses, livestock, and even a hydropower project,” says Jairam Thakur, Leader of Opposition, who is also a local MLA for his sixth term.
One such painful story from Daizy village relates to Inder Singh, who lost his wife and three daughters. Mukesh lost his wife, two children, and parents. All vanished before his eyes, even as he struggled to fight back for their lives.
Bharat Raj, who has not yet come to terms with the trauma, vividly recalls how he pulled back his family from the debris, yet saw his teenage daughter Tunuja, 16, swept away by floating debris.
Tanuja, however, displayed unbelievable courage and grit in coming out of the debris. The 16-year-old from Sharan village survived after being buried in landslide debris for five hours. She carved a small air pocket and clawed her way out until rescuers reached her.
“I was injured and buried. My breath was giving out, but I told myself, You have to survive. God will show the way, and he did finally. I removed debris with my hands and dug a space to breathe before being rescued alive,” she says
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who camped in the flood-affected area for two days, says, “The devastation is unimaginable. I can't simply describe the pain of the affected families, those who lost family members, were rendered homeless, and lost everything. They ran barefoot to save their lives, leaving everything behind.”
Seraj, once considered a remote and underdeveloped region, had witnessed remarkable transformation in recent years. Improved infrastructure, along with a thriving farm economy and booming horticulture sector, had brought a new wave of prosperity to its people. However, the recent calamity has dealt a severe blow to this progress, leaving communities devastated and livelihoods shattered.
“In view of this natural calamity, I have asked for a comprehensive scientific study to examine the underlying causes,” he said. “We need to assess whether the current model of development in these fragile mountain ecosystems is sustainable in the face of global warming and shifting climatic patterns.”
Deputy Commissioner Mandi confirms that data is being provided to researchers and experts at NIT Mandi to do a detailed analysis of the factors of the cloudburst. "Between June 29 and July 1, the rainfall was the highest ever in the Mandi, Pandoh, and Sandhol areas," he recalls.
