Himachal Pradesh rains claim 29 lives, 15 people trapped under debris of Shimla's Shiv temple

Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh have claimed lives of at least 29 people, nine of them buried under the rubble of a temple and after another landslip in Shimla. Incessant rains have thrown life out of gear in the state. Massive downpour has triggered landslides that has resulted in blocking of key roads, including national highway, and brought down houses. Up to 15 more people were 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 Sawan period. This was one of the two landslides reported from the state capital. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu 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. According to the state emergency operation centre, 752 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity. In Solan district’s Jadon village, seven members of a family were killed in a cloudburst on Sunday night. Two houses in the district were washed away following the cloudburst. While six people were rescued, seven others were killed, a police official said. The dead have been identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8) and Raksha (12), Superintendent of Police, Solan, Gaurav Singh said. 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. The chief minister visited the site of the temple collapse in Shimla city’s Summer Hill area and said all efforts are being made to rescue people buried underneath the debris. “Distressing news has emerged from Shimla, where the Shiv Mandir at Summer Hill collapsed as a result of the heavy rainfall. As of now, nine bodies have been retrieved. The local administration is diligently working to clear the debris in order to rescue individuals who may still be trapped. Om Shanti,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. In another post on the microblogging site, he said, “Devastating rains led to a landslide near the Shiv Temple in Shimla’s Summerhill area, burying many people. Some people have died. I am present at the spot and rescue work is underway on a war footing. All possible efforts are being made to rescue the people buried under the debris.” With inputs from PTI