The pre-monsoon rain turns violent in this hill state as in the wee hour today it took two lives and rendering about half dozen homeless as windstorm and lightening caused havoc in the State lashing many parts with thunder showers.
The windstorm knocked down massive Deodar tree on a State forest Corporation nature camp site at Narkanda at 0315 hours crushing down a tourist tent killing two persons on the camp site and injuring one other. The deceased were identified as Ashok Sidhu (45 years) and Rajesh Kumar (35 years) and 32 years old Gagan was injured. They were clerks in the Punjab Education Board.
Another mishap occurred at Khokhan village of Kullu during the same time where six houses were gutted after lightening rendering about 30 people homeless and electrical appliances of a number of houses. The windstorm also disrupted the power supply in a number of villages of Shimla, Kullu, Solan and Mandi district followed by widespread rainfall.
Una recorded 38 mm rainfall, Tissa in Chamba 31 mm, Chhatrari in Kullu 26 mm, Saloni in Chamba and Gohar in Mandi 25 mm each. Tourist resort Dalhousie, Kumarsen in Shimla, Pandoh in Mandi 21 mm each, Bijahi & Amb in Una 18 mm each, Janjehli of Mandi and tourist resort Kufri in Shimla 17 mm each, Jubbal & Mashobra 16 mm each, Banjar in Kullu and Mandi-14 mm each, Rohru and Kahu 13 mm each &; Bajura in Kullu 11 mm, Kotkhai in Shimla and Bangana in Una 10 mm each.
