With the two deaths, the toll in rain-related incidents in Shimla district in the past 10 days has increased to 26 which include 17 deaths in Summer Hill landslide, five in Fagli and two in Krishna Nagar.
Heavy overnight rains triggered landslides in Himachal Pradesh, claiming two lives and blocking over 200 more roads besides damaging some houses, officials said on Wednesday.
A migrant identified as Jhalo and his wife Rajkumari was found dead in their makeshift house in the Baldeyan area of Shimla district, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.
The police officer also appealed to residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
With the two deaths, the toll in rain-related incidents in Shimla district in the past 10 days has increased to 26 which include 17 deaths in Summer Hill landslide, five in Fagli and two in Krishna Nagar.
The landslides also left some houses damaged in the Solan district.
Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Manmohan Sharma told PTI that some houses have been damaged in Shakal village on the outskirts of Solan city as gushing waters entered houses.
There are also reports of damage to a few houses and vehicles in the Sabathu area following the landslide.
Shimla town is the most hit with landslides and uprooted trees blocking the main cart road (circular road), the lifeline of the town as well as the Shimla-Mehli bypass at several points.
With 200 more roads blocked, a total of 530 roads in the state are now shut. It includes National Highway NH 21 (Mandi-Kullu road) and NH 154 (Mandi-Pathankot), according to the data of the State Emergency Operation Centre.
The Shimla-Kalka National Highway 5 connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, which was again blocked near Chaki Mor, has been opened for light vehicles.
Cracks have also developed in some houses in Shimla city.
As a safety measure, houses were vacated in Panthaghati and Sanjauli areas of Shimla city and landslides and uprooting of trees have been reported in some parts of the city, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, Aditya Negi said.
A parked bus near the ISBT in Shimla was buried following a landslide while several other vehicles were damaged in slides near Navbahar, Himland and other places.
Many Shimla residents had a sleepless night as the city witnessed thunderstorms and lightning till 3 am.
Commuters also had a hard time as buses were not plying due to the risk of slides and falling trees.Â
“I walked for nearly six km to reach my office as buses were not plying. We were scared all night as loss of life in recent landslides have triggered fear,” said local resident Jagat Ram.
Heavy rains lashed several parts of the state overnight, with Bilaspur receiving 181 mm of rain followed by Berthin 160 mm, Shimla 132 mm, Mandi 118 mm, Sundernagar 105 mm, Palampur 91 mm, Solan 77 mm. Heavy rains are still continuing in several districts.
The meteorological office here had issued a red alert predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated spells of “extremely heavy” rains in eight districts on Tuesday night.
The warning was issued for parts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Una districts following which all schools and colleges have been closed for two days beginning Wednesday in Shimla, Mandi and Solan districts.
The MeT also cautioned of moderate to high flash flood risk in Shimla, Sirmaur, Kangra, Chamba, Mandi, Hamirpur, Solan, Bilaspur and Kullu districts.
The weather office also issued an orange alert warning of “heavy to very heavy rains” on Wednesday and Thursday and a yellow warning of heavy rain on August 25 and 26. It has predicted a wet spell in the state till August 28.
