No I-Day events in Himachal Pradesh as monsoon fury claims 55 lives

A total of 55 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh after heavy rain battered the state, setting off landslides, a cloudburst, and leading to blocked roads. All cultural programmes to be held as part of Independence Day celebrations were suspended in view of the tragic casualties due to the incessant rain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort in Delhi, said that recent natural disasters had caused “unimaginable trouble” for families across the country. “I express my sympathies towards all of them and I assure them that state and central governments will work together,” he told the crowd gathered to hear his annual speech. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said the death toll is likely to climb further and said that Solan, Shimla, Mandi, and Hamirpur are among the worst-affected districts in the state. “Around 55 people have lost their lives in the state till now. The death figure might go up. Restoration work is being done on a war footing. The Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads has been opened,” he said, adding that as many personnel as possible are being deployed in relief and rescue work. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in relief and rescue operations in rain-hit Himachal and described the loss of lives due to the deluge as “extremely distressing”. Last night, seven people died after a cloudburst incident in Solan district, while nine others were killed in a landslide at a Shiv Temple in the Summer Hill area of Shimla city. In a second landslide, five bodies have been pulled out of the rubble in the Fagli area while 17 people were rescued, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told news agencies. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that isolated heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Himachal Pradesh during next two days and over Uttarakhand and northeast India during next four-five days. The heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the past couple of days is the result of a fresh spell of Western Disturbance, the weather office has said. “The location of the Monsoon trough lies along the foothills of Himalayas and hence the South-westerly Arabian Sea monsoonal winds are hitting the Himalayan foothills,” the Indian Meteorological Department has said, explaining the phenomenon. A Western Disturbance refers to a storm that originates in the Mediterranean and brings heavy rain to mountain areas in the Indian subcontinent.