The death toll in the Himachal Pradesh monsoon mayhem touched 52 as of Tuesday morning. The worst-hit areas include the districts of Mandi and Solan, where over 19 and 11 died, respectively.
Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Shimla and Sirmaur districts too, reported local media.
Landslides triggered by the downpour blocked key roads and damaged homes and buildings. Over 11 people, including a child, are said to have died after the Shiva temple in the Summer Hill area collapsed. Officials said rescue work continues as more are feared dead.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 am and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.
The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan.
Meanwhile, the Pong Dam on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh has recorded the highest-ever inflow since it became operational in 1974. As per local reports, over 300 people have been stranded in the Indora sub-division of Kangra district and officials have sought the help of the Indian Air Force for help to rescue the stranded people.
The Bhakra Beas Management Board officials said the water level at Pong touched 1,395.31 feet on Monday afternoon, compared to the upper limit of 1,390 feet, hinting that the present storage is 107 per cent of its designed capacity.
The situation has prompted Punjab authorities to prepare for a potential flood situation in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts.
Heritage rail line damaged
The Unesco world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was also damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.
The concrete bridge near Summer Hill, 6 km from Shimla, got completely destroyed and the heritage track has suffered damage at five or six places and the most affected stretch is between Shimla and Shoghi, station master Joginder Singh said.
#WATCH | Soil underneath Kalka-Shimla railway line washed away following heavy rainfall in the area#HimachalPradesh pic.twitter.com/0UHvMDcnRw
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023
As many as 857 roads were blocked for vehicular traffic and 4,285 transformers and 889 water supply schemes are disrupted in 11 out of 12 districts in the state. Details of Kullu districts are still awaited.
Muted celebrations
In the wake of the damages and weather, Independence Day celebrations across the state were just ceremonial without any cultural programme.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Saturday that the state-level I-Day function scheduled to be held at Manali has been shifted to Shimla.
The local police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel did not participate in the function. "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," Sukhu said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
Yellow alert in place
The weather office predicted extremely heavy rains in nine out of 12 districts of the state, barring Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, on Monday and issued a yellow warning for Tuesday.
(With inputs from PTI)
