3 dead in Sirmaur landslide as monsoon toll in Himachal reaches 81
Three people were killed in landslides in Bagandhar near Kamrou village of Sirmaur on Tuesday, as rain pounded several parts of the state, officials said.
Of the three, one was a truck driver, and two were Nepalese labourers.
All of them were buried under debris when a limestone quarry caved in following a landslide amid heavy rain.
According to eyewitnesses, the landslide occurred just as a truck loaded with limestone was exiting the mining zone.
Details of the other buried individuals are awaited.
A rescue operation is on amid rain, Shillai sub-divisional magistrate Jaspal, who was at the spot, said.
In Nahan of the same district, 52 students and 12 staff members stranded at Matar School due to heavy rain were rescued after hours of effort, officials said.
Train service was suspended on the Shimla-Kalka Heritage line following a landslide at Koti near Jabli in Solan district.
The Taksal crossing on the Old Kasauli Road was waterlogged, scuppering vehicular traffic.
Traffic was disrupted on the Shimla-Kalka National Highway connecting Chandigarh and Delhi with Shimla due to debris.
The district administration has instructed the four-lane construction company to ensure the smooth operation of NH-5, and police personnel have been deployed to the area, officials said.
Heavy rain created flood-like conditions in Parwanoo near Kasauli.
In all, 88 roads were closed for traffic in the state as of Tuesday evening.
Thirty-two roads, the maximum, were blocked in Mandi, followed by 25 in Kullu, 10 in Sirmaur, six each in Kangra and Shimla, four each in Chamba and Una, and one in Lahaul and Spiti district, according to the state emergency operations centre.
Since Monday evening, Nahan received 122.4 mm of rain, Dharamshala 100.2 mm, Kothi 71.4 mm, and Kasauli 52 mm.
Kahu recorded 47.4 mm of rain, Jot 2.4 mm, Dhaulakuan 34,5 mm, Bilaspur 29.4 mm, Shimla 29.1 mm, and Kangra 28.8 mm.
The Shimla Met office has issued a yellow alert predicting heavy rain in isolated parts of the state for the next three days.
Since the monsoon began on June 30, 81 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh.
The state has pegged the infrastructure loss at Rs 1,001 crore.
