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Rains trigger floods, landslides; kill over 2 dozen in Uttarakhand, Himachal
Officials said at least 26 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh alone while several others were missing as incessant rains continued across the two states
Over two dozen people have been killed as heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, blocking roads and disrupting connectivity in the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The toll was feared to go up as many remained trapped under landslides reported from remote places amid a forecast for more rain.
A landslide hit a Shiv temple near Shimla’s Summerhill, leaving nine people dead and at least 20 trapped. Virender Thakur, the local councillor said, worshippers were praying at the temple when the landslide struck around 7:30am. He said so far nine dead bodies have been recovered.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the administration was working to clear the debris to rescue those trapped.
Over a dozen people were feared buried under another landslide in Shimla’s Phagli. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was among the agencies carrying out a rescue operation.
Heavy rains have caused widespread destruction across Himachal. Seven members of a family were killed in Solan while many were feared missing in the Mandi district. Nearly 800 roads have been blocked across the state.
Major highways including Kalka-Shimla, Kiratpur-Manali, and Pathankot-Mandi, Dharamshala-Shimla were blocked. Officials said at least 26 people have been killed and several missing as incessant rains continued across Himachal. Heavy rain was expected throughout the day on Monday. People have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from water bodies and landslide-prone areas.
A flash flood warning has been issued in nine out of 12 districts in the state except Una, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. All schools, colleges and the Himachal Pradesh University were closed on Monday.
In Uttarakhand, a red alert was issued for Monday amid a forecast for more rain while the Alaknanda, Mandakini, and the Ganga were flowing over the danger mark.
A family was buried under a landslide at Jogiana in Rishikesh. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) media in charge Lalita Negi said rescuers were facing difficulties in reaching the scene due to road blockages. “A Nepalese national has been killed in a landslide in the Lincholi area of Rudraprayag district...”
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said extremely heavy rain at isolated places (over 204.4 mm rainfall) and heavy to very heavy rainfall in some places accompanied by thunderstorms with lightning were expected in Uttarakhand.
In Pauri district’s Mori, a 55-year-old woman was washed away in the Pawar River while two houses were damaged. Two people from Jharkhand and Bihar trapped in a newly-constructed railway tunnel in Rudraprayag’s Ratuda were rescued.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who chaired a meeting over the situation, said the Char Dham Yatra has been stopped for two days. He asked the devotees to reschedule travel plans. “Teams of SDRF and district administration are engaged in relief and rescue work. Instructions have also been given to provide proper treatment to the injured. All the officers and the teams engaged in relief and rescue have been directed to remain alert,” he said.
Around 80 people were shifted as a precautionary measure as the Ganga was flowing above the danger mark in Haridwar’s Kangri Shyampur. Dehradun Defence College partially collapsed due to heavy rains while four people trapped in a swelled stream were rescued in Bhogpur.
Two bridges and a 50-metre stretch of a road in Sol Valley were washed away, snapping its connectivity with the Chamoli district headquarters.
District disaster management officer NK Joshi said a cloud burst was reported from the Sol Valley. “An alert has been sounded and people living near the banks of a river have been asked to shift to safer places without any delay.” He said a disaster management team has been rushed to the spot to assess the damage for a report to be submitted to the district administration.
District disaster management officer DP Kala said four to five labourers were buried at Mohanchatti in Pauri when a landslide was triggered due to overnight rains. “A woman was rescued while the search for the remaining labourers was on.” Three members of a family were rescued after another landslide hit a house in Pauri’s Molti village. “The family has been shifted to a safer location. Ten 10 to 11 houses have been washed away in the swelled Kho river in the district’s Kotdwar area.”
An IMD official said the monsoon trough centred over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has led to an increase in rain activity across the two states. The trough is expected to remain around the Himalayan foothills for the next few days while there is a monsoon “break” in the rest of the country.
