A 35-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter were among three people killed due to landslides triggered by heavy rain that disrupted essential services in Shimla district, officials said on Monday.
According to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Shimla, the fatalities were reported from Junga tehsil and Kotkhai sub division. In Junga, Virender Kumar and his daughter were killed when a landslide buried their house along with their cattle. His wife survived as she was outside at the time. Roads in the area remain blocked due to debris. Junga has seen continuous rain for the past 24 hours.
In Kotkhai’s Chol village, an elderly woman, Kalavati, died early on Monday morning when a landslide behind her house caused it to collapse. Local residents tried to rescue her from the debris, but she succumbed to injuries.
The DDMA said that landslides have also affected several parts of Shimla city, disrupting power and water supplies.
In Rohru sub division, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at Dayar Moli village, putting three houses at risk. Four families were evacuated to safer locations.
{{/usCountry}}In Rohru sub division, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at Dayar Moli village, putting three houses at risk. Four families were evacuated to safer locations.
{{/usCountry}}Sub-divisional magistrate Ramesh Dhamotra said that two cowsheds were buried, trapping two cows and a sheep. Rising water levels in the Shikdi rivulet have added to residents’ fears.
Train services disrupted
Train services on the Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge section were hit on Monday after rain triggered landslides at multiple locations in Solan district, leading to the cancellation of six trains.
According to a Northern Railway communication, train number 52451, 52453 and 52459 scheduled to depart from Kalka to Shimla, and their link services 52452, 52454 and 52460 from Shimla to Kalka for the journey commencing on September 1 have been cancelled due to a hill slip in the section.
Rail officials said restoration work is underway, but services will remain suspended until the affected track is cleared and declared safe for operations.
The Kalka-Shimla line, a Unesco World Heritage site, is a key tourist attraction in Himachal Pradesh and also serves local commuters.
Commuting a challenge
Heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear in Himachal Pradesh as 788 roads, including five national highways, are blocked, making commuting in the state a challenge.
The disruption is widespread, with five national highways — NH-03, NH-05, NH-707, NH-907, and NH-305 — blocked at multiple locations.
Heavy rainfall has damaged 2,174 distribution transformers and disrupted 365 water supply schemes across the state, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, the disaster toll has climbed to 320 deaths , 166 caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drowning, and electrocution, and 154 in road accidents, the SDMA said.
The DDMA has urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert, as the weather department has forecast continued rainfall in the region.