Himachal: Sujanpur woman killed after tree falls on her during storm

Hamirpur superintendent of police Bhagat Singh Thakur said that an information was received at Sujanpur police station from the deputy pradhan of Bhaleth panchayat that a woman of village Mihadpur was buried under a tree

A woman lost her life after being buried under a tree following a severe storm that hit the area on Sunday, officials said.

The deceased has been identified as Santosh Kumari, wife of Suresh Kumar. (iStock)

The deceased has been identified as Santosh Kumari, wife of Suresh Kumar, resident of the Mihadpur village of Sujanpur Tira sub division of Hamirpur district.

Hamirpur superintendent of police Bhagat Singh Thakur said that an information was received at Sujanpur police station from the deputy pradhan of Bhaleth panchayat that a woman of village Mihadpur was buried under a tree. A team was rushed immediately, which reached the spot and found that the victim, who was picking wood near her house, died when the tree fell on her due to a severe storm, police said.

Stormy conditions prevailed across the state on Sunda,y with several places, including Chamba and Shimla, hit by heavy rains and hail. The main road from Chamba to Tissa has been blocked.

Hailstorm damaged fruits especially apple crop which is in flowering stage in upper Shimla areas and reports of damage to horticulture and agricultural crops have also poured in from Chamba district.

Light rain likely in parts of Himachal on Monday

Dharamshala The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Shimla office on Sunday said that light rainfall is expected at isolated places over the high hill and adjoining mid-hill areas of Himachal Pradesh on Monday.

The MeT department further said dry weather conditions are likely to prevail across the state for the remaining of the week. Maximum temperatures are expected to drop by 2–4°C in many parts of the state over the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual rise of 3–6°C over the subsequent 4–5 days.

Minimum temperatures are also expected to fall by 2–3°C over the next 2–3 days, before gradually increasing by 3–4°C during the following 3–4 days.

According to MeT department officials, light to moderate rainfall was recorded at isolated places in the past 24 hours. The highest rainfall of 30 mm was reported in Kothi, followed by 10 mm in Keylong, 9 mm in Pooh, 8 mm in Kukumseri, 6 mm in Manali, and 3 mm each in Kangra, Dharamshala, and Bharmaur.

Notably, thunderstorms were reported in Kangra and Jot, while gusty winds were observed, reaching speeds of up to 50 km/h in Tabo and 42 km/h in Kufri.

During the last 24 hours, maximum temperatures dropped by 2–6°C in the mid-hill regions and by 3–7°C in the high-hill areas. However, there was no significant change in minimum temperatures across the state during this period.