A devastating flash flood triggered by a cloudburst on the night of July 28 wreaked havoc in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, claiming three lives and leaving one woman missing. The deluge, fueled by torrential rains, buried over 20 vehicles under thick layers of debris and submerged multiple houses. Particularly hard hit were the Jail Road, Saini Mohalla, and Zonal Hospital areas, where the gushing waters from Sukati nallahs caused severe destruction across a 5-km stretch. Rescue operations began swiftly with officials confirming that 15–20 people have been pulled to safety so far. One person sustained injuries, and the search for the missing woman is ongoing. Deputy Commissioner Apoorva Devgan and former CM Jai Ram Thakur were present at the site to monitor the emergency response.

The flash floods also led to major infrastructural damage, prompting the closure of the vital Chandigarh-Manali National Highway at multiple points—4 Mile, 9 Mile, and Dwada—after the road was washed away. Additional landslides blocked the Shimla-Mataur Highway at Old Kangra Ghat, compounding travel and rescue challenges. The latest calamity strikes just weeks after similar monsoon destruction in the district that resulted in 15 fatalities in Seraj, Nachan, Dharampur, and Karsog constituencies. Authorities are now grappling with the cumulative impact of repeated natural disasters in a short span, and access to several towns remains cut off due to blocked roads and damaged infrastructure.

The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall across Kangra, Mandi, and Kullu on July 29, with further warnings in place for Chamba, Shimla, and Sirmaur. The situation is expected to worsen with additional rainfall predicted for July 30. Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, Himachal Pradesh has suffered an estimated loss of ₹1,523 crore, with 90 confirmed deaths and 35 people still missing. More than 1,300 houses have been damaged, and at least 200 roads—including 121 in Mandi—remain closed. Essential services have also been disrupted, with 62 power transformers and 110 water supply systems affected, as per the State Emergency Operation Centre.