Heavy rainfall continues to wreak havoc in the Himalayan region, with around 51 reported deaths in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh. Fourteen bodies have been so far recovered from the sites of two landslides in Shimla and officials fear there could be more people trapped under the debris.
Speaking about the situation in Himachal Pradesh, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “Over 50 people have lost their lives in the state in the last 24 hours. Over 20 people are still trapped, and the death toll can also increase."
The Himachal Pradesh CM also visited the disaster-hit regions in the state on Monday to take stock of the situation.
READ | Himachal rain: 9 killed after Shiv Mandir in Shimla collapses; 20-25 feared buried
Taking to X, he wrote, “Chaired a meeting to take stock of the situation arising out of heavy rains in Shimla today. In view of this horrific tragedy, cultural programs will not be organized in the Independence Day programs this time. Local police and SDRF personnel will not participate in the parade, they will be involved in rescue operations only. The first priority of the government is to remove the problems faced by the people due to heavy rains and the parade is also being scaled down. Maximum number of jawans will be deployed in relief and rescue operations and the work of providing relief to the people will continue on a war footing.”
The weather office predicted extremely heavy rains in nine out of the twelve districts of Himachal, barring Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul, and Spiti on Monday and issued a yellow alert for the state on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}The weather office predicted extremely heavy rains in nine out of the twelve districts of Himachal, barring Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul, and Spiti on Monday and issued a yellow alert for the state on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}READ | Why hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand are witnessing intense rainfall
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand's Rishikesh recorded the highest amount of rainfall across the country on Monday. Three people were killed and 10 were reported missing in rain-related incidents in the state. Roads leading to the revered Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri shrines were damaged due to landslides. As a consequence, the pilgrimage to these shrines, known as the Chardham Yatra, had to be halted for a period of two days. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the state on Monday.
READ | Rains trigger floods, landslides; kill over 2 dozen in Uttarakhand, Himachal
"Several places have been damaged in the last 48 hours, due to incessant rainfall in the region. Roads have washed away, bridges have been damaged. Kedarnath Yatra has been stopped for the next 2 days. The water level in Ganga River is also rising, keeping this in mind, search and rescue teams are kept on standby," he said.
The Triveni Ghat also submerged due to the increased water level in Ganga."SDRF team took immediate action on the information of some people being trapped in the submerged houses due to waterlogging in Seema Dental displaced area, Ambagh in Rishikesh, immediately reached the spot and rescued 20 people trapped there with the help of rafts and brought them to a safe place," the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) of Uttarakhand police shared in a tweet. A large part of the Thano-Bhogpur road was washed away by the strong current of the river.
(With agencies' inputs)