The continuous and heavy rain for about two days has wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh as five deaths have been reported from across the state, besides damage to several shops and houses in different parts.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has appealed to the people of the state to avoid going near the rivers and nallahs besides remaining vigilant amidst the ongoing adverse weather conditions as per the warning issued by metrological department.
He also urged the public to cooperate with the District Administration and abide by the advisories issued by the authorities.
The rain-triggered landslides hit vehicular movement in many parts of the State, including Shimla district. Red alert has been issued for extremely heavy rainfall over the next three hours at one or two places in the districts of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur.
As per figures provided by the State Emergency Operation Centre, no less than 13 landslides and nine flash floods have been reported in the hill state in the past 36 hours. Heavy rain caused considerable loss to the private and government property in the areas of Mandi, Kullu, and Lahaul and Spiti districts.
Several shops were also washed away in the flash flood at Bahang near Manali, while one under-construction house was submerged in the flooded Beas river near Patlikuhal in Kullu district. One woman was rescued from under the debris in Kullu.
Three members of a family were killed in a house collapse following landslide due to rain in Kotgarh area of Shimla district. A landslide also damaged a makeshift house near Kullu town, leaving a woman dead. In another incident, a person was buried alive following a landslide in Katiyan tehsil of Chamba on Saturday night.
There were reports of shops being swept away in Manali, vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur, and Chamba and loss to agricultural land.
A total of 736 roads, including three national highways, have been blocked for traffic in the state. Several roads have also been closed in Shimla districts.
The Chandigarh-Manali highway (NH-21) was blocked to vehicular traffic due to major landslide at 6 mile between Mandi and Pandoh. As a result, traffic has become standstill on this highway. Notably, this is the same place where the commuters were struck for almost 24 hours on June 27 last due to a landslide. The Manali-Chandigarh road also caved in near Manali.
Mandi-Kullu road via Kamand was also blocked near Ghoda farm. In Kullu district, the Aut-Luhri highway was blocked due to landslide near Banjar. The Gramphu-Kaza highway in Lahaul and Spiti is still blocked to traffic.
In Shimla, traffic was affected near Tutikandi bypass due to trees and debris on the road, while the Anadale road and Panthaghati-Kasumpti road were closed due to debris on the road. In Kangra, many roads, including Dharamsala-Mcleodganj, Naddi-Stobary, Dehra-Chintpurni, were blocked due to landslides.
The rain, continuing for the past more than 24 hours, has also caused damage to public and private property in Kangra district also.
As many as 1,743 distribution transformers have been affected and 138 water schemes are disrupted due to heavy rain over the last 24 hours.
All the major rivers, including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Chenab, are in spate; and the local authorities have appealed to the tourists and commuters to avoid travelling during heavy rains and not to venture out near river bodies.
Pandoh dam authorities also opened the floodgates of the dam to release extra water. As a result, the water level of the Beas river has increased manifold, which is flowing above the danger mark.
In Lahaul and Spiti, Losar received fresh snowfall due to plummeting temperature.
Three Killed in Kotgarh Village in Shimla
Three members of a family died in a Kotgarh village in Shimla district after their house collapsed due to a landslide on Sunday morning. The deceased were identified as Anil, his wife Kiran, and son Swapnil.
Expressing profound sorrow over the tragic loss of three lives, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that district administration has been directed to provide immediate relief to the affected family.
In his message of condolence, the Chief Minister extended prayers for the departed souls to rest in peace and for the bereaved family members to find strength during this irreplaceable loss.
Schools Closed on July 10-11
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also announced that schools will remain closed on July 10 and 11 in the wake of heavy rain.
He said that in view of bad weather forecast, the State Government has alerted concerned district administration for safety measures and to aware general public of the same.