A cloudburst in a village in Himachal Pradesh killed seven people, while incessant rains in Uttarakhand triggered landslides and caused river Beas to swell. Schools and colleges were closed in these states.
Seven members of a family were killed after a cloudburst hit a village in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district, an official said.
The incident occurred at Jadon village late on Sunday night. Two houses were washed away and six people were rescued, Solan Divisional Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said.
The deceased people were identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8) and Raksha (12), Solan Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Singh said.
In Shimla, 25 to 30 people were feared to be trapped under debris after a Shiva temple collapsed in Summerhill area due to heavy rainfall. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu told India Today that nine bodies were pulled out from the rubble.
According to the police, there were nearly 50 people who had come to worship at the temple amid torrential rains.
A fire brigade team was present at the spot. The police and a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team were involved in rescue operations.
These incidents came as heavy rainfall continued to pound Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand in the past 24 hours, with landslides blocking key roads, washing away bridges, forcing the closure of educational institutions and causing water levels of rivers to swell.
In Himachal Pradesh, a conductor of a private bus suffered injuries after a tree got uprooted and fell on a vehicle in Shimla.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that all schools and colleges in the state would be shut till August 14 (Monday) due to the incessant rains.
A total of 621 roads, including a maximum of 236 in Mandi, 59 in Shimla and 40 in Bilaspur district are currently closed for vehicular traffic, according to the state emergency operation centre.
A key stretch of the Shimla-Kalka National Highway connecting Shimla and Chandigarh has been affected by recurring landslides over the past two weeks, officials said.
Incessant rains for the past 48 hours have caused havoc in all parts of the Hamirpur district, leading to a spate in river Beas and its tributaries. The worst affected are the areas where the nullahs of Maan and Kunah are located, officials said.
The rains and landslides have caused widespread damage to crops, fertile land and official and private buildings in all parts of Hamirpur. The district administration has warned people not to venture out and avoid going near the Beas river bank and nullahs.
Since the monsoon’s onset in Himachal Pradesh on June 24, the hill state has so far suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7,020 crore and 257 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, the emergency operation centre said.
The weather office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state from August 14 to 17 and predicted a wet spell in the state till August 19.
UTTARAKHAND
In Uttarakhand, landslides triggered by incessant rains have blocked traffic on various roads, including national highways, affecting the movement of people, officials said.
Rishikesh-Chamba National Highway was blocked for traffic due to a landslide near Kunjapuri Bagardhar in Tehri while the movement of heavy vehicles was stopped on Rishikesh-Devprayag-Srinagar National Highways at Sakhnidhar.
The Ganga in Haridwar was flowing above the danger mark at 294.90 metres.