Shimla: Three persons were killed in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh as incessant heavy showers wreaked havoc causing landslides at several places, blocking highways and damaging several houses. A truck driver, who was sleeping in his truck along with two other persons near Rampur in the district, died when his truck got buried under debris following a massive landslide.
The body of the driver, Monu, was recovered from the debris while the other two managed to escape, official sources said. Sunia Devi of Mehaskwal village was washed away by landslides when she was cleaning her house. Her body was found 150 m downstream from her house, police said.
Hamirpur district administration gave cash relief of Rs 25,000 to the family members of the deceased. Ashok Kumar died in Chopal area when a huge tree fell on his house while he was asleep, police said. Deputy Commissioner Ashish Singhmar said the rains had caused extensive damage and so far, reports of damage to 57 kutcha houses had been received.
A two storey building collapsed in Baijnath, while gushing rain water entered several shops in Paprola market after Luni river changed its course. Over two dozen houses were damaged in Manglesh Basti due to heavy rains. The residents claimed that the river had changed course as heaps of debris, extracted for construction of road, was blocking the run of the river. They claimed that a lot of mud and rain water had entered their houses and shops.
Sub Divisional Magistrate O P Rathore said the losses are being assessed and affected people have been given interim relief. The heavy rains triggered landslides at numerous places in Sirmaur district and Ambala-kala Amb-Paonta national highway remained closed for nearly ten hours. Vehicular traffic was disrupted on Shimla-Nahan highway which remained closed for three hours due to landslide at Dosarka.
Nine HRTC and several private buses were stranded at various places in the interiors of the district as link roads were blocked at many places. Four persons, including Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Prakash Chand, received injuries in a landslide. The ASI was referred to IGMC hospital at Shimla, police said.
Some other main roads, including Nahan-Renuka, Nahan-Paonta, Nahan-Rajgarh and Paonta-Shillai, also remained closed for vehicular traffic till late evening. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on these roads. The rains inundated low-lying areas in Una district while Jungle Berry area in Hamirpur was also flooded.
Sujanpur Tira in Hamirpur district was wettest in the region with 187 mm of rains till this morning while Nahan and Renuka in Sirmaur district recorded 185 mm and 169 mm rains respectively. The local MeT office has warned of very heavy rains at some places and rains and thundershowers at many places in the state during next 24 hours as a cyclonic circulation, extending up to 0.9 km above sea level, lies over Punjab and adjoining Haryana.
Dehra Gopipur received 160 mm rains, followed by Dharamsala 148 mm, Nadaun 143 mm, Jogindernagar 125 mm, Dharamsala (AWS)-111, Bangana 106 mm, Una and Mehre 105 mm, Nurpur in Kangra received 102 mm rains, followed by Bangana 99 mm, Bhoranj 92 mm, Nagrota Suriyan 90 mm, Baijnath 74 mm, Gaggal 73 mm, Palampur and Ghamroor 73 mm, Rampur 49 mm, Sangraha 38 mm, Pandoh 34 mm, Manali 32 mm and Dharampur 31 mm.
The maximum temperatures dropped by few notches. Sundernagar was hottest during the night with a low of 28.5 degree Celsius while Solan recorded minimum temperature at 28 degrees, followed by Bhunter 27.8 degrees, Una 27.4 degrees, Dharamsala 26.8 degrees, Nahan 24.8 degrees, Shimla 21.5 degrees and Kalpa 18.6 degrees.
However, the minimum night temperatures dropped by one to three degrees to stay at 20.8 degrees at Hamirpur, Chamba and Kangra, 20.5 degrees at Dharamsala and Una, 20 degrees in Solan, 19 degrees at Palampur and 17.7 degrees at Shimla.
Sundernagar and Bhuntar were hottest during the night with minimum temperature at 21.7 degrees and 21.0 degrees, Nahan recorded a low of 15.4 degree, seven degree below normal and Kalpa and Keylong in tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahual and Spiti recorded lowest temperature of 14.6 degree C.
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