Death Toll Rises To 21 As Heavy Rain Batters Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand; Rescue Ops Underway

At least 21 people have been killed today in separate incidents amid heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh while nine people have been killed as a temple collapsed in the Summer Hill area of Shimla after heavy rains triggered landslides.

WATCH | Shimla's Summer Hill area hit by landslide; few people feared dead, operation underway to rescue stranded persons

CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and state minister Vikramaditya Singh are on present on the spot pic.twitter.com/sjTLSG3qNB

¡ª ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2023

Deaths so far

Seven people of a family were killed and 20 feared trapped after a cloudburst occurred early today in the Jadon village in Himachal Pradesh¡¯s Solan district, said officials. A family was found buried under a landslide at Jogiana in Rishikesh. The toll is feared to go up as many remain trapped under landslides reported from remote places amid a forecast for more rain.

Several videos showing the catastrophe has been doing the rounds on social media.

Shimla wrecked badly pic.twitter.com/E3gDupmGy4

¡ª Punjab Kesari-Himachal (@himachalkesari) August 14, 2023

In a video, Dehradun Defence College building could be seen reduced to rubble. Take a look.

VIDEO | Dehradun Defence College building in Uttarakhand's Maldevta collapses amid incessant rainfall. More details are awaited.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/YUZJozBkGz

¡ª Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 14, 2023

Rescue ops underway

Rescue operations are underway to clear the debris, CM Sukhvinder Sukhu said in a tweet. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the administration was working to clear the debris to rescue those trapped. Over a dozen people were feared buried under another landslide in Shimla¡¯s Phagli.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was among the agencies carrying out a rescue operation.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) media in charge Lalita Negi said rescuers were facing difficulties in reaching the scene due to road blockages. ¡°A Nepalese national has been killed in a landslide in the Lincholi area of Rudraprayag district...¡±

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla at landslide incident site in Shimla where 20-25 people are feared trapped

"Flag hoisting will be done, 'At-Home' event at Raj Bhawan on Independence Day stands postponed," the Governor says. pic.twitter.com/SojhkvVktB

¡ª ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2023

Extent of damage

Heavy rains have caused widespread destruction across Himachal and Uttarakhand. Nearly 800 roads have been blocked across the state. Major highways including Kalka-Shimla, Kiratpur-Manali, and Pathankot-Mandi, Dharamshala-Shimla were blocked.

Alert sounded; advisory issued

People have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from water bodies and landslide-prone areas. A flash flood warning has been issued in nine out of 12 districts in the state except Una, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. All schools, colleges and the Himachal Pradesh University were closed on Monday.

In Uttarakhand, a red alert was issued for Monday amid a forecast for more rain while the Alaknanda, Mandakini, and the Ganga were flowing over the danger mark.

VIDEO | Water level of Ganga river witnesses alarming rise in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh amid incessant rainfall in the state. pic.twitter.com/MjbvIfYaw3

¡ª Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 14, 2023

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts very heavy rainfall activity over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand today (August 14). Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh are also likely to experience fairly widespread rains.

Light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall is expected over Uttarakhand between Monday and Friday (August 18), according to the IMD¡¯s daily bulletin.

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