At least ten people were killed across Himachal Pradesh in the last 36 hours as relentless rains continued to hammer the hill-state causing widespread destruction to roads, buildings and water supply schemes.
Three people, including two girls, died in landslide related incidents near the Regional Transport Office (RTO) building in Shimla on Sunday.
The two teenage girls, Diya (18) and Vishaka (15), were rushed to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Their father Haridas (46), was pulled out of mounds of debris and rushed to IGMC. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. One person was rescued and is being treated.
In another incident, a labourer was killed and six others were injured when a retaining wall collapsed breaking into the room where the labourers were sleeping at the Lower Cymmetery area of the town. The deceased has been identified as Shah Alam, a native of Kishanganj, Bihar.
A 70-year-old man and his grand-daughter were killed when a wall of their house collapsed. The deceased have been identified as Kanth Singh and his eight-year-old grand-daughter Palvi.
A driver was killed near Hatkoti in Shimla district when his canter was hit by a landslide. In a similar accident at Swarghat in Bilaspur district, a driver was killed after being buried under a landslide. The deceased has been identified as Ajinder Singh, a resident of Zirakpur, Punjab.
An employee of Dabur India Ltd was killed when a wall collapsed on him at Baddi in Solan district. The deceased has been identified as Vicky (29) a native of Bihar.
Two labourers died at Konthru near Narkanda while five people sustained serious injuries when a tree fell on their makeshift house. The deceased have been identified as Arjun Budha (19) San Bahadur (52), a resident of Nepal while five others were critically injured.
A 22-year-old tourist from Telangana, identified as Raghav was killed after being hit by a boulder. He was returning from a trek to Khir-Ganga in Kullu district. In Jibhi area of the district, a man identified as Chunni Lal was swept away in a swollen rivulet and is feared dead.
400 roads blocked
More than 400 roads, including 13 highways across the state are blocked fully or partially due to landslides.
The Chandigarh-Manali national highway was blocked near Bilaspur town where hundreds of commuters have been stranded. Traffic from Mandi to Kullu has been diverted through the Kataula-Bajaura road as the highway is submerged under water.
There was also a landslide at Jarol near Sundernagar which disrupted the traffic on the busy highway for several hours in the morning.
The Hindustan-Tibet road of National Highway 5 is blocked at Siaskhad Bridge, near Spillow, Ribbah and Nathpa.
The Kalka-Shimla highway was damaged at several places. Traffic movement on the highway was hampered at Taradevi, Chharabra and Fagu disrupting the transportation of apples.
The rains adversely impacted electricity supply in Shimla town. More than a dozen localities in the town were without electricity for several hours. The main localities include Khalini New Shimla, Vikasnagar, Kasumpati Brock Host, and Chhota Shimla. Traffic was disrupted on the main Tutikandi Dhalli bypass. A major portion of a road caved in near Shanan. Two trucks parked on the roadside fell into the gorge.
Superintendent of Police Omapati Jamwal said that several people have been rescued and the police are continuously engaged in rescue work.
Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, Amit Kashyap said all the educational institutions in the district will remain closed on Monday.
Snowfall at Rohtang; hundreds stranded
Hundreds of tourists are reportedly stranded in Koksar area Lahaul-Spiti district as the Manali-Leh highway is closed for traffic due to landslides at various places. Keylong, the administrative headquarters of Lahau-Spiti, Chandertal and 3978-meter high Rohtang pass experienced snowfall on Sunday.
First Published:
Aug 18, 2019 17:35 IST
Source: HindustanTimes