The 10 people who were trapped at the Kol Dam Hydel Project in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district on Sunday were rescued after an hours-long mission.
The Mandi district administration officials said the people, including five employees of the Forest Department, were stuck after the water level rose. They were finally rescued around 3 am.
It was immediately not known how the incident took place. Their plight was revealed to the officials by the locals. Following this, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot. The rescue operation was being carried out with the help of a steamer.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh braces for heavy rains from Tuesday after the Met office in the state issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very-heavy rain from August 22-24. There is also a 'yellow alert' in place (for heavy rain) on Monday, even as the monsoon remained subdued in the state.
The Met also warned of a moderate risk of flash floods in catchment areas of Chamba and Mandi districts and predicted a wet spell till August 26. "Heavy rain can result in landslides, flash floods and increased water levels in rivers and drains, besides causing damage to standing crops, fruit plants and young seedlings," the weather office said.
Meanwhile, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state was hoping to get the special package proposed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "According to the relief manual of the Central Government, a damaged house will be compensated with Rs 5,000 and a damaged road will receive Rs 1, 25,000 per kilometre. I have demanded a change in the relief manual and BJP National President JP Nadda has talked about a special package. Let us see by when we receive it," Sukhu told reporters on Sunday.
During a meeting with BJP president J P Nadda and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur here, Sukhu appealed for financial aid akin to that provided during the Kedarnath and Bhuj tragedies to aid the recovery efforts in Himachal considering the state's geographical conditions, an official statement said.