Shimla: At least 22 people were killed and 20 others injured in flash floods caused by a cloudburst at Solan nallah, 280 kms from Shimla in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh late on August 7 night, police sources said on August 8.

The toll is likely to increase as 18 people were still missing, police sources said, adding that the injured had been admitted to hospitals in Manali and Kullu.

Chief Minister Vir Bhadra Singh said 20 bodies had been recovered so far.

Most of the victims were labourers employed by the Border Roads Organisation in the construction of Rohtang tunnel project.

The incident occurred at around 11:40 pm on August 7 night. Of the 250 labourers, mostly from Jharkhand and Nepal at the site, all have been accounted for, except 18, who were missing, the sources said.

Senior police and district officials have reached the site and rescue operations were in full swing.

In another cloudburst at Kotkhai, 60 kms from Shimla, a bus stand, three buses and a truck were washed away, the sources said.

The Shimla-Jubbel road was also washed away near Kotkhai and link road to several places in Kotkhai area were also washed away in the floods. Rohroo and Jubbel have been cut off from the district headquarters.

Thirty people, mostly labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh working on a hydro-power project were killed in flash floods caused by cloudburst in Kullu district on July 16.

PTI