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Rediff.com  » News » Toll in Himachal flash flood rises to 21

Toll in Himachal flash flood rises to 21

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
July 19, 2003 15:37 IST
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With one more body retrieved on Saturday, the toll in Wednesday's flash flood in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, has gone up to 21.

The disaster that follows heavy rains

Three people are feared buried under the debris caused by the flood.

Speaking to rediff.com on phone R D Nadeem, deputy commissioner of Kullu, said they have pressed bulldozers, earthmovers and cranes to clear the road for traffic.

"The dead include seven children and three women," he said.

The majority of those killed, he said, were Nepalese. Two belonged to the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We have cremated the Nepalese according to their religious rites under the supervision of the Red Cross. Bodies of those killed from Doda were handed over to their relatives for cremation," he said.

He claimed the district administration has been able to account for all the persons, barring the three who might be buried under the debris.

"All the contractors have been asked to provide us with the list of men and women working at the Parvati hydel project site. There is a possibility that if there was a visitor staying with someone on the fateful day then his name may not figure in the list provided by the contractors," he said.

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Onkar Singh in New Delhi