Himachal Pradesh Faces Fresh Rain-Induced Devastation; Seven Dead in Mandi, Two Feared in Kullu
Shimla: Heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh, with rescue teams recovering four more bodies from a landslide in Mandi district, bringing the death toll there to seven. In Kullu district, two people, including an NDRF jawan, are feared dead after two houses collapsed, officials said on Wednesday.
All government and private schools and colleges in the state will remain closed until September 7 due to ongoing inclement weather, according to an official order.
Officials reported that the landslide struck near the BBMB colony in Sundernagar on Tuesday evening. Sub-divisional Magistrate Amar Negi said five of the seven deceased belonged to the same family. Three have been identified as Surinder Kaur, her son Gurpreet Singh, and Prakash Sharma, while details of the others are awaited.
In Kullu’s Akhada Bazaar area, the two missing individuals have been identified as NDRF jawan Narinder (37) and Kashmiri youth Waqar Ahmad (24). Rescue operations are ongoing.
Additional reports of damage include five trucks crushed by falling rocks at Wangtu in Kinnaur, evacuation of residents from 15 houses in Kunduni village, Jogindernagar, after a landslip, and debris hitting a house in Chauhra village, Kandaghat. In Bilaspur district, heavy rain caused the back wall of a primary school in Jamli to collapse and water to enter the building.
Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary of Education, said teachers and administrative staff are also exempted from attending institutions, but heads of schools and colleges must ensure classes continue online where feasible. The order emphasized vigilance to safeguard students, staff, infrastructure, and school records.
Road travel across the state remains severely disrupted, with 1,162 roads blocked. Mandi reported 289 blockages, Shimla 234, Kullu 205, and Sirmaur 137, while details from Chamba are awaited, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Key highways including NH-3, NH-5, NH-21, NH-205, NH-305, NH-505, and NH-707 remain closed. Trains on the Shimla-Kalka route have been canceled until September 5 due to landslips.
Moderate to heavy rainfall persisted across Himachal, with Naina Devi recording 136 mm, Jot 100.6 mm, Pachhad 77 mm, Kothi 68.4 mm, Chamba 66 mm, Bilaspur 60.4 mm, Rohru 60 mm, and Manali 57 mm since Tuesday night. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas.
Since the monsoon began on June 20, Himachal has seen 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts, and 122 major landslides, resulting in at least 341 deaths and 41 missing persons. Official estimates place the state’s losses this monsoon at ₹3,525 crore.
