Prakriti Deb, Pune
Two more bodies were pulled out of the debris of a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on August 15, while rescuers suspect 10 more bodies are still trapped inside. As per the officials, the death toll surged to 53 as a result of the heavy rainstorm in Himachal Pradesh on August 13.
Himachal Pradesh has been hammered by torrential rains that have caused landslides, cloudbursts, traffic blockages, and property damages. Rescue efforts are in place, with a momentary halt on the night of August 14 owing to the downpour.
Deaths and damage reported so far:
- This monsoon, there have been a total of 170 cloudbursts and landslide occurrences reported in the state.
- According to the Deputy Commissioner, 19 people died on August 14 as a result of rain-related accidents in the Mandi district.
- On August 13, at Seghli panchayat, a landslide claimed the lives of seven family members, including a toddler.
- Six corpses were found at Sambhal, near Pandoh.
- Eleven people died in the Solan district.
- Seven members of a family were killed in a cloudburst, as two houses in Jadon village were washed away on the 13th night.
- A 50-meter bridge was destroyed by a landslide near Shimla’s Summer Hill, leaving a section of the UNESCO-designated Shimla-Kalka railway line partially hanging.
- According to station master Joginder Singh, there have been five to six instances where the track has been damaged, with the stretch between Shimla and Shoghi being the worst affected.
- Up to 857 roads were blocked for vehicular traffic.
- Since the start of the monsoon on June 24, the state has experienced damages of Rs. 7,171 crore till August 14, according to the state emergency operation center.
The meteorological department has forecast that Himachal Pradesh will continue to experience rain until August 18.