Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday announced that the operation to evacuate locals and tourists stranded in the state due to flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains has been completed.
He stated that around 70,000 tourists have been evacuated, and about 500 tourists have voluntarily decided to stay back in the state.
He added that about 15,000 vehicles have been sent out from the state.
Along with this, electricity, water, and mobile services have been temporarily restored in 80 percent of the disaster-affected areas.
The Chief Minister further said that efforts are being made to restore essential services in the remaining areas at the earliest as possible.
He praised various agencies of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army for successfully conducting the rescue operations.
Himachal Pradesh has reported a total of 108 deaths from June 24 to July 14 and the loss due to floods is estimated to be around Rs 8,000 crore.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains at isolated places in the state and issued a yellow alert till July 18.
With inputs from IANS