Shimla: 48 killed in Himachal rains, 14 of them in landslides

Shimla/ Dehradun : At least 48 people were killed in Himachal Pradesh, 14 of them in two Shimla landslips including one at a temple as rains wreaked havoc in the state, triggering landslides that blocked key roads and brought down houses, officials said on Monday.

As many as 19 persons died in various rain-related incidents in Mandi district as more bodies were recovered, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary told PTI.

More people are feared trapped under the debris of the Shiv temple in Shimla's Summer Hill area. The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan. This was one of the two landslides reported from the state capital which is still witnessing intense rain.

In a second landslide here, five bodies have been pulled out of the rubble in Fagli area while 17 persons rescued, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier said nine bodies have been pulled out of the debris from a Shiv temple in the Summer Hill area that collapsed and the other site in the Fagli area where several houses were buried under mud and slush. All schools and colleges in the state were closed on Monday.The weather department issued a yellow warning for heavy rains on Tuesday and predicted a wet spell in the state till August 18. Meanwhile, Torrential rains ravaged Uttarakhand destroying buildings and causing landslides which breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines and left three people dead and five others missing.

A private defence training academy on the outskirts of Dehradun also collapsed amid the incessant rains.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials to review the rain situation in the state and it was decided to suspend the Chardham yatra for two days. Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said a landslide hit a camp at Lincholi near Kedarnath, killing one person identified as 26-year-old Kalu Bahadur from Nepal.