Dog’s bark saves 67 lives as in Himachal’s Mandi

In a powerful testament to instinct and survival, a village dog’s urgent barking in the dead of night helped save 67 lives in Siyathi village of Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, just moments before a deadly landslide swept through the area.

At around 1 am on June 30, as torrential rain pounded the region and cloudbursts triggered flash floods and landslides, a dog began barking persistently. The villagers of Siyathi, nestled in the Dharampur area, were fast asleep when the dog’s unsettling cries cut through the stormy night.

Upon noticing the dog’s unusual behaviour, the villagers sensed that something was wrong and quickly understood the danger that was approaching. Within moments, families left their homes in panic, many without taking any belongings, seeking refuge from the looming disaster.

Shortly after they escaped, a massive landslide buried the village, flattening nearly a dozen houses. Only three or four homes remain visible under the debris; the rest have vanished into the earth. Villagers now say it was the dog who turned into a guardian angel that night, warning them when no one else could.

Survivors have taken shelter at the Naina Devi temple in nearby Triyambala village.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, 78 people have died across Himachal Pradesh, 50 in rain-related tragedies like landslides and cloudbursts, and 28 in road accidents. Mandi remains among the worst-hit districts, with over 150 roads blocked due to flash floods and landslides.

But amid the devastation, the tale of a dog's timely warning stands as a poignant reminder of the bond between animals and humans, and how, sometimes, salvation comes with a bark.