9 dead in Shimla temple landslide, more trapped; 621 HP roads closed
The torrential rain wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, claiming the lives of 51 persons, with 14 casualties reported from two landslides in Shimla, including 9 from Shiv temple in Summer Hill area. The landslides obstructed crucial roads and resulted in the collapse of houses, according to officials on Monday. The catastrophe resulted in the closure of 621 roads across the State.
In Mandi district, 19 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents, as more bodies were discovered, said Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary.
With Monday being an auspicious day of the holy month of Sawan, hundreds of devotees had congregated to offer prayers. The shrine’s collapse toll may increase as many are feared trapped under the temple debris.
Another landslide took place in the Fagli area of Shimla, leading to the retrieval of five bodies from the debris and the rescue of 17 individuals, as reported by Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that a Shiv temple in the Summer Hill vicinity and several houses in the Fagli area had succumbed to the landslides, leading to a total of nine casualties and numerous individuals being buried under mud and slush.
To mitigate further risk, all schools and colleges in the State were closed. The catastrophe resulted in the closure of 621 roads across Himachal Pradesh, according to the State emergency operation center.
The meteorological office forecasted extremely heavy rain for nine out of the State’s 12 districts on Monday, excluding Kullu, Kinnaur, and Lahaul and Spiti, and issued a yellow warning for Tuesday.
In Solan district’s Jadon village, a cloudburst during the night claimed the lives of seven family members. Two houses were washed away in the district due to the cloudburst, resulting in seven fatalities with six rescues.
In Balera panchayat, a makeshift house collapse took the lives of two children, and another woman perished in a landslide in Banal village of Ramsheher tehsil, said Deputy Commissioner of Solan, Manmohan Sharma.
In Mandi district, a landslide in the Seghli panchayat led to the deaths of seven family members, including a two-year-old child, while three people were rescued.
Near Pandoh, six bodies were recovered at Sambhal, and two deaths were reported from the Dharampur area. Flooding affected parts of Balh and Nerchowk in Mandi.
In Sirmaur district, one boy lost his life, as per reports.
The Chief Minister visited the Summer Hill temple collapse site and reassured ongoing efforts to rescue those trapped under debris. He expressed his distress on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Distressing news has emerged from Shimla...”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged the efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams engaged in relief and rescue operations in the State.
The UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway bridge was severely damaged near Summer Hill. The 50-meter bridge collapsed, leaving tracks hanging in the air.
Various rescue teams, including the Army, SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, and State police, worked together for relief and rescue operations.
Deputy Commissioner of Shimla, Aditya Negi, confirmed ongoing rescue operations at the Summer Hill and Fagli landslide sites, where numerous people were feared buried.
The State Capital experienced power outages due to landslides and uprooted trees damaging power lines.
Himachal Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla also visited the landslide and cloudburst sites.
In Hamirpur district, four persons lost their lives due to incessant rains, and two others went missing. Numerous incidents of rescue and fatalities were reported from different parts of the district.
Heavy rains continued to batter the State and the weather department issued a yellow warning for heavy rains until August 18.
Since the onset of monsoon on June 24, the State suffered losses amounting to Rs 7,171 crore, with around 170 cloudburst and landslide incidents, resulting in damage to nearly 9,600 houses.