8 killed as wall collapses following heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh

Eight persons, including four children, were killed and 15 others injured when a huge wall of a factory collapsed following heavy rains and storm in the industrial township of Baddi in Solan district, police said on Wednesday.

The storm was so fierce that the wall collapsed last night and a large number of migrant labourers sleeping in a cluster of ‘jhuggis’ adjacent to the wall in Swarajmajra village were buried alive.

The SDM and DSP rushed to the spot and conducted rescue operations with the assistance of local people.

The bodies of all eight deceased were recovered from the debris and injured persons were rushed to nearby hospital while three seriously injured persons were referred to PGI, Chandigarh.

The deceased were identified as Asrafi (35), his son and daughter Sailesh and Priti, Santosh Kumar and his wife Maya, Asha and her kids, Nanha and Jammi.

Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy rains lashed several areas of Himachal, triggering landslides at numerous places and disrupting water supply.

Mandi was wettest in the region with 64 mm rains while Saluni received 49.5 mm rains followed by Bhuntar 36.4 mm, Nahan 34.

The night temperatures plummeted following rains and dropped by six to ten degrees.