'Gods must be angry': Spine-chilling videos show houses, people being washed away in Himachal Pradesh; rail track, car hang precariously in air

Chandigarh, August 17

It’s without a doubt a “mountain-like challenge” for Himachal Pradesh.

As the state was trying to recover from July’s rain fury, it was battered by the recent heavy rain, which has again thrown life out of gear.

In four days, over 70 people were killed in landslides and cloudburst as houses fell like a pack of cards in parts of the state.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 24, 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state and about 9,600 houses partially or completely damaged.

In one video, a whole patch of road has been washed away from outside a house and what remains is a car parked precariously.

Another video shows the Unesco world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line damaged near Summer Hill in Shimla after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging.

The heritage track has suffered damage at five to six places with the most affected stretch being between Shimla and Shoghi.

Seven members of a family, including three children, were inside the Shiv temple when it collapsed. In all, 13 bodies have been recovered and 10 are feared buried.

Sunita Sharma, a relative of a victim, said, “I have just one request, find them and bring them to us. We will accept them dead or alive. We have been waiting for four days,” adding, “God must be angry, We don’t know why God did this to us.”

Vinod, the brother of one of the missing persons, said, “The administration should make such areas safe, and have some kind of system in place to ensure that the water recedes immediately.”

Mehar Singh, neigbour of a victim, said, “We performed the last rites of four members of a family  on Tuesday. They lost their three generations.”

“Look at our roads in Himachal. What’s the point of this kind of development when it comes at a price, and it’s we locals who have to pay for it,” said Shivani, a resident of Shimla.  

Nineteen people died in rain-related incidents in Mandi district on Monday. Seven members of a family, including a two-year-old child, were killed in a landslide late on Sunday night in Seghli panchayat while six bodies were recovered at Sambhal near Pandoh. A video showed flashflood taking away everything that came in its way.

Eleven people died in Solan district. Seven members of a family were killed in a cloudburst as two houses in Jadon village were washed away on Sunday night.