At least 29 people died as rain wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, news agency PTI reported. Of these 22, nine people were buried underneath the rubble of a collapsed temple and some houses in two Shimla localities. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said nine bodies were pulled out of the debris of a Shiv temple in the Summer Hill area and the other disaster site in Shimla's Fagli area, where several houses were buried under mud and slush.

All schools and colleges in Himachal Pradesh will be shut on Monday in the wake of incessant rainfall, the Department of Education said late Sunday. The Himachal Pradesh University also cancelled all the ongoing examinations of Post Graduate classes, including BEd exams scheduled on Monday.

Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing very heavy rainfall for the past few days. The monsoon season commenced in Himachal Pradesh on June 24.

Shimla: Rescue and relief work underway after collapse of a temple following a massive landslide near Summer Hill in Shimla, Monday, Aug. 14. 2023. (Credit: PTI)

On Monday as well, an orange alert — predicting that moderate to heavy rainfall — has been issued in Kangra, Mandi, Bilaaspur, Una, Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur and Mandi. The rest of the hill state is on yellow alert, as per the latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The state has witnessed damages due to heavy rainfall. According to the officials, the monsoon's toll stands at 257 lives lost due to a range of causes.

A landslide hit a temple building in Shimla following heavy rainfall in the area, killing nine people. "Distressing news has emerged from Shimla, where a 'Shiv Mandir' at Summer Hill collapsed as a result of the heavy rainfall. As of now, nine bodies have been retrieved..," tweeted Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh said earlier, "Few bodies have been retrieved from under the debris here; 10-15 people are still buried under the debris. All efforts are being made to safely rescue people. 12-15 people have died in Mandi district due to inclement weather."

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— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2023

In Balera panchayat of the district, two children died as their makeshift house collapsed in a landslide and the body of one of them has been recovered. Another woman died in a landslide in Banal village of Ramsheher tehsil, said Deputy Commissioner of Solan Manmohan Sharma.

In Hamirpur, Deputy Commissioner said that three persons have died while two are missing due to incessant rains in the district. He appealed to all the residents of the district to take special precautions in view of the bad weather and avoid going out unnecessarily.

Besides, a video shared by news agency ANI showed several vehicles and castles being washed away due to heavy rainfall in the Sirmaur district.

#WATCH | Nahan, Himachal Pradesh: Several vehicles & castles washed away due to heavy rainfall in Sirmaur district.

(Video source: District Disaster Management Authority) pic.twitter.com/DlNZ1zIC3B— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2023

According to an ANI report, officials announced a staggering loss of Rs 7020.28 crore due to the monsoon's devastating impact in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.

"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 were quoted as saying.

Moreover, 1,376 houses have been damaged in the state while 7935 houses have been partially damaged so far in the monsoon havoc. "(As many as) 270 shops have been damaged amid monsoon and 2727 cow sheds have been damaged," the officials said.

According to the official data, Himachal Pradesh so far witnessed 90 landslides and 55 flash flood incidents.

"While still nearly 450 roads including two National Highways are closed in the state. As many as 1,814 electricity supply schemes are still hampered and 59 water supply schemes are still disrupted," the officials informed.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu took feedback from all the District Collectors (DC) about the damage caused due to heavy rains in the districts. He also got information about the closure of the road routes.

He reportedly instructed the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary as well as all DCs to keep a close watch on the situation created due to heavy rains. "The administrative staff should be alert and maintain smooth arrangements for roads, electricity and water," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published:Aug 14, 2023 6:10 AM IST