Himachal, Uttarakhand Landslides from Downpour Claim 60 Lives, Cause Heavy Damage

SHIMLA: Above- normal and incessant rainfall which triggered cloudbursts, landslides and road blocks left over 60 people dead in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, even as operations continued to rescue people trapped under the landslide debris and evacuate the injured.

Between five and 10 people are feared to be still trapped after several buildings, including houses and a slaughterhouse, on Tuesday collapsed in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla after a landslide hit the area due to continuous rainfall. Locals in the area were swiftly moved to safety, away from landslide-prone areas .

The situation may turn grimmer as India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that isolated but heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Himachal Pradesh in the next two days. The forecast is similar for Uttarakhand and northeast India in the next 4-5 days.

In Himachal Pradesh's Kangra, over 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas near the Pong Dam, as a result of increased water level in the Dam due to incessant rainfall.

Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu wrote on X on Wednesday, “More than 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam, as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir. Evacuation operation is still on as more people are being evacuated.”

Meanwhile, schools and colleges were ordered to be kept shut in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday due to heavy rainfall. The state's Education Department issued an order on Tuesday, which stated that weather conditions in most parts of Himachal Pradesh remain inclement and it was felt that in the interest of students’ safety, school/colleges should remain closed for another day, i.e. Wednesday. “Therefore, considering the above, the Government of Himachal Pradesh orders to keep all Schools & Colleges (Government as well as Private) closed on dated 16th August, 2023,” the order read.

On Wednesday, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi, said that rescue operations were being carried out at two places of Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar, where landslides recently took place. He informed that 13 bodies were recovered from Shiv Temple in Summer Hill area and one body and one severed head were found in Krishna Nagar.

Search teams dug out three bodies Tuesday in the Summer Hill area of Shimla, where a major landslide the previous morning destroyed the Shiv Bawdi temple, burying over two dozen people. Search and rescue teams have found 12 bodies so far.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and five others were rescued after a building collapsed at Helang near Joshimath in neighbouring Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district late on Tuesday evening. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) informed about the recovery of one body from the rubble and search was on to rescue another person buried under the debris.

The monsoon trough, the low-pressure area that was lying to the north of its normal position, which caused heavy rainfall over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, is now gradually moving south, the IMD said on Tuesday.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday airlifted 18 army soldiers in a single flight to help in rescue efforts in Shimla. The Air Force said, “A Chinook helicopter of Western Air Command airlifted 18 Indian Army personnel and a 3-Ton Mini Dozer in a single sortie for rescue efforts in areas affected by landslides near Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla today.”

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday held a meeting with High Power Committee for natural disaster management. He said that a 157 per cent surge in rainfall over the past four days is to be blamed for the extensive damage across the entire state.

"We have already suffered an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 crore. I believe that such a calamity has never occurred (in Himachal Pradesh). I have convened two meeting over the crisis and we will handle the situation," says Himachal Pradesh CM

As per official estimates, over 60 people have died in Himachal due to the incessant rainfall of the past few days, while 52 people died due to rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand this monsoon and around 37 sustained injuries.

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