Himachal: 7 killed in heavy rains, red alert in 6 districts

Heavy overnight rains triggered landslides in Himachal Pradesh, claiming seven lives and blocking over 400 more roads besides damaging several houses, officials said on Wednesday.

The meteorological office on Wednesday issued a red alert predicting “heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated spells of extremely heavy rains” in six of the state’s 12 districts including Shimla for the next 24 hours.

A total of 709 roads in the state are now shut following three major spells of heavy rains this Monsoon that have left a trail of death and destruction.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu appealed to the people to remain vigilant in view of the heavy rain forecast.

Five persons have died in landslides triggered by cloud bursts in two villages of Seraj area of Mandi district, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said.

Two persons, Parma Nand (62) and his grandson Gopi (14), were killed in a landslide at Dagol village of Seraj in Mandi district while the others three were killed in a landslide in Sarachi village. Some more people are feared trapped in the debris. A few houses and a school were also damaged in the area.

Shimla town was badly hit, with landslides and uprooted trees blocking the main cart road, the lifeline of the town as well as the Shimla-Mehli bypass at several points. Many houses have also developed cracks and people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

A migrant identified as Jhalo and his wife Rajkumari were found dead in their makeshift house in Baldeyan area of Shimla district, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said.

Over 80 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state this month while a total of 238 people have died while 40 are still missing since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24.

The red alert warning was issued in the afternoon for parts of Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

The Met Department also issued an orange warning of heavy to very heavy rains on August 24.

All schools and colleges have been closed for two days beginning Wednesday in Shimla, Mandi and Solan districts.

The landslides also left some houses damaged in

Solan district.

Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Manmohan Sharma said that some houses have been damaged in Shakal village on the outskirts of Solan city as gushing waters entered the premises.

There are also reports of damage to a few houses and vehicles in Sabathu area following a landslide.

The roads that have been affected include National Highway NH 21 (Mandi-Kullu road) and NH 154 (Mandi-Pathankot), according to the data of the State Emergency Operation Centre.

Cracks have also developed in some houses in Shimla city. As a safety measure, houses were vacated in Panthaghati and Sanjauli areas of Shimla city and landslides and uprooting of trees have been reported in some parts of the city, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, Aditya Negi said.

Fearing danger, several people in Shimla city have left their houses and moved to other places. Videos of people running to save their lives following landslides appeared on social media.