Rain Fury In Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand Leaves Over 50 Dead; Char Dham Yatra Suspended

A cloudburst damaged several houses and shops in Uttarakhand's Chamoli on Monday (ANI Photo)

New Delhi: Torrential rains on Monday ravaged Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, destroying buildings and causing landslides and leaving over 50 people dead. At least 48 people were killed in Himachal Pradesh, with 14 of them in two Shimla landslips including one at a temple as rains wreaked havoc in the hilly state. In Uttarakhand, heavy rains triggered landslides which breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines. The downpour also led to the suspension of the Char Dham yatra for two days.

Rain Wreaks Havoc In Himachal Pradesh

Heavy rains battered Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, triggering landslides that blocked several roads, including the key Shimla-Chandigarh highway. As many as 752 roads are currently blocked in the state.

As per the latest updates, at least 48 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, including 19 in the Mandi district.

In Solan district's Jadon village, seven members of a family were killed in a cloudburst on Sunday night.

In the Balera panchayat of the district, two children died as their makeshift house collapsed in a landslide, while a woman died in a landslide in Banal village of Ramsheher tehsil. Six bodies were also recovered at Sambhal near Pandoh.

Several parts of the state capital was without electricity since Sunday night as landslides and uprooted trees damaged power lines.

The weather department has issued a yellow warning for heavy rains on Tuesday and predicted a wet spell in the state till August 18.

So far, the state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7,171 crore since the onset of the monsoon on June 24, as per the state emergency operation centre.

As many as 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state in the current monsoon season and about 9,600 houses partially or completely damaged.

Rain Fury In Uttarakhand

Heavy rains also battered Uttarakhand on Monday, destroying buildings and causing landslides. It left at least three people dead and five others missing. A private defence training academy on the outskirts of Dehradun also collapsed amid the incessant rains.

Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said a landslide hit a camp at Lincholi near Kedarnath, killing one person from Nepal.

Two bodies were also recovered from rain-fed streams near Shiv Mandir and Miranagar areas in Rishikesh. 

Four-five people were missing after a landslide in the Laxmanjhula area of Pauri district.

Most of the rivers were overflowing due to the rain with the Ganga flowing above the danger mark in Tehri, Haridwar, and Rishikesh.

The Badrinath National Highway is blocked at a number of places due to landslide debris.

In the Chamoli district, a flood-like situation has developed along the banks of a dozen rivers, including Alaknanda and its tributaries Pindar, Nandakini, and Birhi.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials to review the rain situation in the state and decided to suspend the Chardham yatra for two days.