At least 60 people have been confirmed dead after heavy rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the past few days. Fresh landslides hit Himachal's Shimla on Tuesday night, killing two people. Horrific videos of people in nearby houses screaming and telling the inmates to leave immediately were circulated on social media.
Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu took stock of the situation in the state directed the officials to swiftly restore electricity and water supply schemes that have been affected by the torrential rain over the past few days.
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand Rains - Latest Updates
1. Over 100 people are still stranded in Kangra as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the Ponga dam reservoir. Around 650 people have been evacuated so far.
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2. After incessant rainfall in Himachal over the last few days, Indian Army columns have been employed for flood relief operations in Shimla, Fatehpur, Indora and Kangra Districts of the state. Two more bodies were pulled out of the rubble of a collapsed Shiva temple in Shimla, taking the total toll from the landslide near Shiva temple site in Summer Hill to 13.
3. Fresh landslides hit Himachal on Tuesday night in Krishna Nagar area of Shimla, killing two people. Horrific videos showed houses completely collapsing to the ground in just few seconds. The landslide affected eight houses, including six makeshift ones and a slaughterhouse that was buried under the debris.
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4. Educational institutions will be closed in Himachal today, owing to the rain-related incidents in the state. In Shimla district, Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi has ordered that all government and private education institutes, schools, colleges, university, vocational training centres and anganwari centres will remain closed on August 16 and 17.
5. Heavy rains also lashed parts of Uttarakhand, which has killed at least six people since Monday, while seven are still missing. A 50-metre stretch of the Badrinath Highway was washed out on Tuesday evening after a landslide at Bhanerpani near Pipalkoti. Chamoli police have appealed for vehicles going to Badrinath to take a halt at Pipalkoti only.
6. A building collapsed at Helang near subsidence-hit Joshimath in Chamoli district, officials said. Three people were rescued and a few others are feared trapped under debris.
7. Yamuna river has crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi following heavy rain in Himachal, Uttarakhand. According to a Central Water Commission official, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the warning mark of 204.50 metres at 3 pm on Tuesday and rapidly rose to 205.39 metres at 10 pm. The water level is predicted to rise further today. "However, the river may not swell to the evacuation level of 206.00 metres in Delhi unless the hilly region receives more rain," officials said.
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8. Bodies of four people have been recovered from Lakshman Jhula resort that got hit by a landslide.
9. The 77th Independence Day on Tuesday was a low-key affair in Himachal Pradesh with the traditional cultural programmes missing from official and district-level functions as the state mourned the deaths and destruction caused by incessant rains.
