In Points: Flood horror in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala after cloudburst

Heavy and continuous rainfall has resulted in cloudbursts, flash floods and severe devastation in Himachal Pradesh. Several visuals of the flood horror in the state's Dharamshala regionhave gone viral on the internet. Tourists are stranded and heavy property damage is anticipated in the area.Reportedly, the cloud burst occurred in the Bhagsu village of Kangra district causing severe property damages. No casualties have been reported though two are missing and the national highwaynear Jhakri in the Rampur region of Shimla district has been blocked. Here are the latest updates from flood-struck Dharamshala, Kullu and Shimla.

• What happened in Bhagsu Nag, according to Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal, cannot be classified as a "cloud burst." According to Jindal, it appears to be a case of flash floodingcaused by heavy rains.

“We can’t say it is a cloud burst in Dharamshala but initially it is a flash flood case due to heavy rains,” said Jindal.

• Tourists from Delhi and the neighboring areas flocking to Dharamshala are stranded right now. A video showing massive amount of mud gushing in the area has gone viral. Several luxury vehiclescan also be seen floating in the flash flood.
• Heavy rain also pounded Kangra district, which is 58 kilometers from Dharamshala, causes significant damage to hotels in the area.
• Two people are reported missing in the Kangra district after the flood.
• At least 10 shops in the area have received severe damage. Over 4 to 5 houses are completely drowned and those left are also at severely high risk, told Sandeep Kumar, Vice President GramPanchayat Bagali in Kangra District.
• Heavy rains have resulted in the blockage of Shimla’s National Highway near Jhakri in the Rampur area. Many tourists are concerned that they may get stranded.
• The Manjhi River, which runs near Dharamshala, is overflowing. Due to the rushing flood, surrounding shops and huts have been damaged.
• A landslide has been reported in Chamoli of the nearby state of Uttarakhand.
• Due to the landslide, the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway 07 is blocked and rescue efforts are on to unblock it.
• After heavy rains, the situation in Jammu's Doda remains tense.
• Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken with State Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur about the current situation. NDRF team has been deployed for a rescue mission in the state, which is on itsway. He also took to Twitter and said, “the Centre will provide whatever assistance is necessary to assist Himachal Pradesh in overcoming the crisis.”