18 dead, highways closed as rain pounds Himachal
ChandigarhShimla NH blocked at many places; trains on KalkaShimla route suspended; downpour expected in next 2 days
Torrential rains wreaked havoc across Himachal Pradesh, claiming 18 lives and leaving hundreds stranded as several highways across the state were blocked, officials familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The state has been experiencing heavy rain since Sunday night that has triggered landslides because of which several roads, including the Mandi-Kullu highway and the MandiPathankot highway were blocked. The Chandigarh-Shimla highway was also blocked at several places. All trains on the Kalka-Shimla route were suspended. State additional chief secretary Manisha Nanda said 923 roads were closed due to landslides, including six national highways.
Landslides led to death of eight persons, including four members of a family in Solan district, followed by four in Mandi two each in Hamirpur and Kangra districts and one each in Bilaspur and Una, said an official.
The government has advised people to avoid travel as the weather officials warned of heavy rains in the state till Tuesday and thereafter on August 16 and 17. As a precautionary measure, all schools and educational institutes in the state will remain closed on Tuesday too.
Four members of a family, including two children, were buried under debris at Lamsar village near Kurgal in Kandaghat subdivision of Solan district around 4am, while a 7-year-old boy was washed away in Kaushalya river near Parwanoo in the district. In Mandi, a woman was killed after a house collapsed in Tadun village of Dharampur subdivision, while a man was killed in Kansa village of Balh subdivision as his car plunged into the Beas near Pandoh dam.
Several shanties in a slum area near Panchvaktra Temple in Mandi town were washed away due to flood in the Beas. The river is flowing over the danger mark since Sunday. Balh valley was also submerged due to flood in the Suketi rivulet.
In Hamirpur, a 65-year-old woman and her nine-year-old granddaughter were killed after their house collapsed due to landslide in Thana village of the Bhoranj subdivision. A man was killed while his wife and son were injured after a house collapsed at Tali village of Bilaspur. In Una, a three-year-old girl died, while six members of a family escaped unhurt after the Toyota Innova they were travelling in rolled down a gorge near Chintpurni after a portion of the road caved in .