E-Paper
Himachal rains: 3 dead in Mandi house collapse, Dharampur bus stand flooded
Shimla’s arterial Circular Road closed after landslide at Himland. Though no casualty reported, traffic jams on both sides of the road forced schoolchildren and office-goers to head to their destinations on foot on Tuesday morning.
Heavy overnight rains pounded Himachal Pradesh, triggering floods and landslides that left three people dead in a house collapse in Mandi and blocked a crucial road in Shimla, officials said on Tuesday.
Three people died and two were rescued at Bragata village of Sundernagar’s Nihri tehsil in Mandi district when debris from an adjoining cliff slid onto a kutcha house around 2.30am, causing it to collapse. According to the officials, five people were inside the house when the landslide struck. While two managed to escape, three were buried in the debris. Rescue operations were carried out jointly by the administration and local residents. “All three bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem,” said Sundernagar sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Amar Negi.
“Rescue teams rushed to the spot and the operation is still underway,” said Mandi superintendent of police Sakshi Verma.
Mandi has been facing continuous rain since Monday night with the bus stand at Dharampur flooded, the police said, adding buses and vehicles were swept away in the strong flow of water. “Dharampur town was the worst affected as the Son Khad suddenly swelled and took a furious form. Around midnight, floodwaters gushed into the bus stand, submerging several state-run buses and sweeping away others along with dozens of private vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and scooters,” the Dharampur DCP said.
There were no casualties though one person was reported missing and the authorities are still verifying the report.
Houses and shops were inundated, forcing residents to climb to rooftops for safety. A hostel housing nearly 150 students was also flooded, but all of them managed to move to the upper floors. Police and rescue teams, led by DSP Sanjeev Sood, carried out the overnight rescue operation.
Landslides throw life out of gear in Shimla
Heavy overnight rain in Shimla caused landslides, blocking three main roads in the state capital and throwing life out of gear.
Landslides occurred near Hotel Himland, Bishop Cotton School, and Panjri, burying 20 vehicles in debris.
Circular Road, considered the lifeline of Shimla, was closed following the landslide at Himland. Though no casualty was reported, traffic jams on both sides of the road caused inconvenience to schoolchildren and office-goers on Tuesday morning.
Owing to the blockade, people were seen heading to their destinations on foot.
The public works department team was engaged in the road-clearing operation so that traffic could be restored.
Shimla police said the Khalini-BCS-Vikas Nagar-Mehli road was blocked near BCS mandir, while the Bambloe-Talland road was closed for traffic after a landslide at Talland. Work on clearing the road is under progress.
The meteorological department has issued a yellow alert for rain in Shimla and most parts of the state on Tuesday.
While in the Mehli-Junga road was blocked near Ashwani Khad in Shimla, the Sunni-Luhri-Rampur road was blocked at Nathan and the Shimla-Sunni via Gumma road was blocked at Nautikhud.
Himachal Pradesh’s monsoon devastation has claimed 404 lives since June 20. The State Disaster Management Authority’s district-wise cumulative report said the maximum 37 rain-related deaths were reported from Mandi followed by 24 in Kangra, 31 in Kullu, 28 in Chamba, and 23 in Shimla, making them among the worst-affected districts.
