Himachal Cloudburst, Landslides Kill 50, Chief Minister Says "Stay Indoors"

Over 50 people have died within 24 hours in incidents related to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, the state's Chief Minister has confirmed. Seven people died after a cloudburst incident in the Solan district last night, while nine others were killed in a landslide at a Shiv Temple in the Summer Hill area of Shimla city. 

In a second landslide, five bodies have been pulled out of the rubble in the Fagli area while 17 persons were rescued, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in relief and rescue operations in rain-hit Himachal Pradesh and termed the loss of lives due to the deluge as "extremely distressing".

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has appealed to the people to stay indoors and avoid going near drains or rivers. In an interview with NDTV, he also asked people to move away from landslide-prone areas and requested tourists not to visit the state during this crisis.

15 to 20 people were feared buried in two landslides in Shimla city, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told news agency PTI. The other site is in the Fagli area, where several houses were buried under mud and slush.

Six people were rescued after the cloudburst at Mamligh village of Kandaghat subdivision in Solan. Two houses and one cowshed were washed away, news agency ANI reported.

The dead in Solan were identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8), and Raksha (12), Superintendent of Police, Solan, Gaurav Singh said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu offered condolences in a tweet, and said he has directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families.

"Devastated to hear about the loss of 7 precious lives in the tragic cloudburst incident at Village Jadon, Dhawla Sub-Tehsil in Solan District. My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving families. We share in your pain and sorrow during this difficult time," the Chief Minister's Office tweeted.

Barely 1.5 hours later, the Chief Minister shared the distressing news of nine bodies being pulled out of the Shimla temple's debris.

"Distressing news has emerged from Shimla, where the "Shiv Mandir" at Summer Hill collapsed as a result of the heavy rainfall. 

As of now, nine bodies have been retrieved. The local administration is diligently working to clear the debris in order to rescue individuals who may still be trapped.

Om Shanti," he tweeted.

According to the state emergency operation centre, 752 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity.

All educational institutes in the hill state will be shut today in view of the safety of students amid heavy rains, the Chief Minister said on Sunday, adding that he has spoken to all District Collectors in the state for feedback on the damage and devastation.

He was also informed about the closure of the road routes and the damage caused by landslides. The Chief Minister has instructed the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary as well as all DCs to keep a close watch on the situation in views of heavy rains. The administrative staff should be alert and maintain smooth arrangements for roads, electricity, and water, the Chief Minister has said.

The Department of Education of the state issued a notification informing that all the ongoing examinations of Post Graduate classes including B Ed exams scheduled on August 14 have been cancelled.

The heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, and neighbouring Uttarakhand, are due to a fresh spell of Western Disturbance, the Indian Meteorological Department said today.

"The location of the Monsoon trough lies along the foothills of the Himalayas, and hence the South-westerly Arabian Sea monsoonal winds are hitting the Himalayan foothills," the weather department said.

According to an IMD statement on Sunday, moderate to heavy rainfall at many places is very likely to continue over the state with very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the district of Chamba, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla, Kullu, and Sirmaur.

It further forecasted very heavy rainfall at many places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Beas, Ranjit Sagar, and the Pong dam catchment area.

Himachal Pradesh has been the worst affected state in the country due to the floods and landslides with officials announcing on Sunday a staggering loss of Rs 7020.28 crore due to the monsoon's devastating impact.

The monsoon season commenced in Himachal Pradesh on June 24. According to the officials, the monsoon's death count stood at 257 lives lost due to a range of causes.

"Of the 257, 66 people lost their lives due to landslides and flash floods. 191 people lost their lives due to road accidents or other reasons. While 32 people are missing and 290 people have been injured", the officials said.

1,376 houses have been damaged in the state, while 7,935 houses have been partially damaged so far in the monsoon havoc.

“270 shops have been damaged amid monsoon, and 2,727 cow sheds have been damaged”, the officials said.

According to the official data, the state so far witnessed 90 landslides and 55 flash flood incidents. While nearly 450 roads including 2 National Highways are still closed in the state. 1,814 electricity supply schemes are still hampered, and 59 water supply schemes are still disrupted, the officials informed.