Toll in Himachal rains rises to 80, CM declares state calamity

At least 80 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, India. The state government has declared the damage caused by heavy rainfall as a state calamity. Rescue operations are ongoing and the estimated loss is ₹10,000 crore. The Indian Institute of Advance Studies in Shimla has also been affected by the heavy rains.

At least 80 people have died in various rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh since Monday, officials aware of the matter said on Friday, as the state government declared the massive damages caused by heavy rainfall as a state calamity.

Search and rescue operation underway at the landslide-affected areas of Shimla on Friday. (ANI)

The entire hill state has been declared as a “natural calamity affected area” in view of the damage caused to human life and property due to heavy rains, a notification issued by the state government said. Earlier, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had told PTI that the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to declare the massive damage caused by heavy rains as a state calamity.

“Eighty people have died in various rain-related incidents since Monday,” DC Rana, director of State Disaster Management Authority, said.

Officials said that three people were killed after the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a gorge in Ronhat, in Shillai subdivision in Sirmaur district, late on Thursday.

Two more bodies were recovered from the rubble of a Shiv temple in Summer Hill, which was affected by a massive landslide on August 14, on Friday, taking the overall number of people killed in the incident to 16.

Chief minister Sukhu said rescue operations are going on in full swing and the state government is making efforts to help the affected families, especially those whose houses have been damaged in the flash floods and landslides with its own resources.

“Central teams have inspected the affected areas for loss assessment and we need timely help from the Centre,” he said, adding that Himachal Pradesh has suffered an estimated loss of ₹10,000 crore.

Officials said that as of Friday evening, 2,209 people were evacuated from 27 panchayats.

Meanwhile, the Indian Institute of Advance Studies (IIAS), Shimla, has written to local authorities for an assessment of its campus after a portion of the premises sank during the heavy rains.

“I visited the site on Thursday. The land there has sunk about half-a-meter while some trees have also tilted,” Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi said.