3 bodies found in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh rain toll rises to 59 | India News – Times of India
Himachal rain toll 59, many still buried under debris
The death count from landslides and flooding rose to 59 in Himachal Pradesh Tuesday with many still buried under mounds of earth as cloudbursts and heavy rain continued to pummel the state, with Mandi and Shimla districts reporting the most fatalities at 23 and 19.
Search teams dug out three bodies Tuesday in the Summer Hill area of Shimla, where a major landslide the previous morning destroyed the Shiv Bawdi temple, burying over two dozen people. Search and rescue teams have found 12 bodies so far.
The situation is expected to worsen, with Shimla and many other places becoming increasingly susceptible to landslides. Another major landslide struck the Krishna Nagar locality on Tuesday. The municipal corporation’s slaughterhouse in the area collapsed, along with several adjoining houses, leaving many people buried in the rubble. Two bodies were retrieved from the debris.
Continuous heavy rainfall since Sunday has triggered landslides and floods, prompting rescue efforts by NDRF, SDRF, state police, ITBP, and the Army. ADGP (law and order) Abhishek Trivedi highlighted the challenges of conducting rescue operations in a landslide zone, especially during night, but assured that proper lighting arrangements were being put in place.
Authorities have closed all educational institutions across the state on Wednesday. The 77th Independence Day took on a sombre tone in Himachal. Traditional cultural programmes were notably absent as the state grappled with loss of lives and extensive destruction.
This monsoon season has registered a total of 170 cloudbursts and landslides in Himachal, damaging nearly 9,600 houses. Among the hardest-hit districts are Solan, Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur, and Kangra. Flash floods due to the release of water from Pong dam left over 500 people stranded in Mand, Kangra. In Mandi district, reports emerged of five houses collapsing in the Baldwara area.
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu pointed out a 157% surge in rainfall over the past three days. Around 400 of the 1,220 blocked roads have been restored, but the challenges remain daunting.
In neighbouring Uttarakhand, search operations resumed after a series of landslides. In Pauri district, heavy rainfall triggered a fatal landslip, resulting in three casualties. The Char Dham Yatra remained suspended for a second day. At 42cm, Rishikesh received the highest 24-hour rainfall across the nation, as per IMD data for Monday morning. Kangra in Himachal followed closely behind at 27cm. The weather office predicted more rain in the two states on Wednesday.
(With agency inputs)
Watch Himachal Pradesh: Several houses collapsed in landslides in Shimla’s Krishna Nagar and Lalpani areas
