India: How a puppy saved 60 people in the Himachal Pradesh floods

Dubai: The infamous saying “a dog is a man’s best friend” has new meaning after an unsung furry hero saved more than 60 lives in the recent disastrous floods of India’s Himachal Pradesh region.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the night, where the residents of the Siyathi village in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh were fast asleep, unaware of the flash floods and landslides that were actively threatening their village.

It wasn’t until a six-month-old pet puppy by the name of Rocky started barking that the situation came to anyone’s attention.

Residents recall waking up to the sound of the puppy frantically barking. As they approached Rocky to check up on him, they came face-to-face with the real-time threat of the extreme weather events.

“I woke up from the barking. As I went to him, I saw a big crack in the wall of the house and water had started to enter. I ran downstairs with the dog and woke everyone up,” said one resident, Narendra, as reported by NDTV.

This trickled into a domino effect, as residents went to alert each other. In total, over 60 people from nearly 20 different households were warned. The residents were able to escape just in time, as shortly after their evacuation a landslide occurred in the village.

Currently, the impacted residents are seeking shelter in the Naina Devi temple in the Triyambala village.

Since the floods first occurred on June 30, they have caused massive devastation across the region. The current death toll from the floods has surpassed 80, as recovery operations still continue.

Sudden cloud bursts have been the main cause of such massive amounts of rain occurring over a short period. The region has been impacted by a mix of flash floods and landslides.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited the affected areas in the Mandi district on Wednesday, not only to assess the damage but also provide relief options for the impacted population.

“Mandi has been the most affected. The disaster first struck the Dharampur assembly constituency. Nineteen families were saved, and the government has announced that it will provide them with Rs5000 every month for rented accommodation,” he said, as reported by ANI.