Shimla: Five members of a Nepali family in Himachal Pradesh's Gawaldi village were washed away in a cloudburst early on Friday. A 12-year-old deaf and mute boy from the household, however, miraculously escaped the calamity.
The five family members died when their 'kachha' house was washed away in the cloudburst that occurred at a hilltop in Bandrali village, Naren Panchayat's president Naresh Chauhan said.
"The bodies of all five deceased have been recovered with the help of the local people and one 12-year-old physically challenged boy survived," Shimla deputy Commissioner, Rohan Chand Thakur said.
The deceased include a man, Lachhi Ram, his wife, and their three children.
Despite heavy rains and darkness, locals helped recover the bodies from the debris, Chauhan said.
The cloudburst damaged roads leading to Gawaldi village under Naren Panchayat in Rampur area, about 150 km away from Shimla. Apple orchards of some farmers were also washed away or damaged.
The SDM Nishant Thakur and the DSP rushed to the spot. The bodies of the victims have been sent for post-mortem.
