Five killed as heavy rains lash Himachal
SHIMLA:Five people were killed in landslides and flood in different parts of Himachal Pradesh as the state experienced moderate to heavy rains on Thursday and Friday, officials said.
Hundreds were stranded after incessant rainfall triggered landslides and snapped road links across the state.“Three people were killed when boulders smashed their vehicle near Gambrola (in Bilaspur district),” said police. He added two travellers sustained injuries and were admitted to the Government Regional Hospital in Bilaspur.
Meanwhile, a child who was sleeping was killed when boulders rolled down on to his house in Rohru town in Solan, police said.
On Thursday, a 4-year-old girl died in Sawra, about 100km from Shimla, after her house was flooded. Her body was recovered from the debris after a long rescue operation.
In Mandi district, there was heavy damage to three shops in Baghinala village owing to heavy showers on Thursday night, but no loss to life was recorded.
While Arki town in Solan district recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 67mm till 8.30 am, it was 64mm in Paonta Sahib, 58mm in Dharamsala, 53mm in Palampur and 29mm in Shimla.
“Precipitation occurred at most places in the state with heavy rain in Kangra and Sirmau in the past 24 hours,” said an official of the meteorological office.
A government spokesperson said the Satluj and Beas rivers and their tributaries were in spate in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts. These rivers enter Punjab and Haryana.