At least three people died in landslides in Himachal's Bagandhar near Kamrou village of Sirmaur on Tuesday, as rain pounded several parts of the state. Of the three, one was a truck driver, and two were Nepalese labourers. Reports suggest that all of them were buried under debris when a limestone quarry caved in following a landslide amid heavy rain. Locals said the landslide was reported just as a truck loaded with limestone was exiting the mining zone. Details of the other buried individuals are awaited. A rescue operation is underway amid rain, Shillai sub-divisional magistrate Jaspal, who was at the spot, said.
52 students and 12 staff members stranded at Matar School
Officials said that in Nahan of the same district, 52 students and 12 staff members stranded at Matar School due to heavy rain were rescued after hours of effort.
Train service was suspended on the Shimla-Kalka Heritage line following a landslide at Koti near Jabli in Solan district. The Taksal crossing on the Old Kasauli Road was waterlogged, scuppering vehicular traffic.
Traffic disrupted on the Shimla-Kalka National Highway
Because of the heavy rains, the traffic was disrupted on the Shimla-Kalka National Highway connecting Chandigarh and Delhi with Shimla due to debris.
In this regard, the district administration has instructed the four-lane construction company to ensure the smooth operation of NH-5, and police personnel have been deployed to the area, officials said. Heavy rain created flood-like conditions in Parwanoo near Kasauli.
88 roads were closed for traffic in Hiamchal
In all, 88 roads were closed for traffic in the state as of Tuesday evening. Thirty-two roads, the maximum, were blocked in Mandi, followed by 25 in Kullu, 10 in Sirmaur, six each in Kangra and Shimla, four each in Chamba and Una, and one in Lahaul and Spiti district, according to the state emergency operations centre.
It should be noted that since Monday evening, Nahan received 122.4 mm of rain, Dharamshala 100.2 mm, Kothi 71.4 mm, and Kasauli 52 mm. While Kahu recorded 47.4 mm of rain, Jot 2.4 mm, Dhaulakuan 34,5 mm, Bilaspur 29.4 mm, Shimla 29.1 mm, and Kangra 28.8 mm.
In the meantime, the Shimla Met office has issued a yellow alert predicting heavy rain in isolated parts of the state for the next three days. Since the monsoon began on June 30, 81 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh. The state has pegged the infrastructure loss at Rs 1,001 crore.
With inputs from PTI
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Four die as monsoon rains trigger landslides, road closures across Himachal; IMD issues orange alert
