Himalayan states face rain fury again

Shimla/ Dehradun: Flood-ravaged Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are facing monsoon fury yet again, with record-breaking rainfall in both the Himalayan states.

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.

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. The toll in the incident may rise, the officials said.

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 said. 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.