60 dead in 3 days, more heavy rain alert for Himachal till August 19; 10 bodies still buried under collapsed Shimla temple

Chandigarh, August 16

The death toll in the rain fury in Himachal Pradesh rose to 60 in three days on Wednesday.

A body of a woman was pulled out of the debris of a collapsed Shiv temple near Summer Hill in Shimla today.

Heavy rains have battered Himachal since Sunday, triggering landslides in Shimla’s Summer Hill, Krishna Nagar and Fagli.

“Rescue operations are going on in Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar areas and one body has been recovered from Summer Hill,” said Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi.

He said so far 13 bodies had been recovered from Summer Hill, five from Fagli and two from Krishna Nagar. Ten bodies are still feared buried in the debris of the Shiv temple that collapsed on Monday.

As many as 15 houses in Krishna Nagar have been vacated and the families shifted to safe places. Several others have vacated their homes themselves fearing slides due to incessant rains.

Two persons were killed and at least eight houses razed to the ground and a slaughterhouse was buried under debris in a major landslide at Krishnanagar locality in the heart of Shimla on Tuesday evening.

There has been a 157 per cent surge in rainfall over the past few days that has resulted in extensive damage across Himachal and about 60 people have been killed in the last three days, said the  Chief Minister.

The education department had ordered closure of all schools and colleges in the state on Wednesday due to inclement weather and the Himachal Pradesh University has suspended teaching activities till August 19.

About 800 roads are blocked in the state and the losses suffered by the state since the onset of monsoon on June 24 have crossed Rs 7,200 crore. With PTI