Over 60 dead as heavy rainfall continues in Himachal, Mandi worst-hit; rescue ops underway

The death toll in Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains climbed to 66, after another body was recovered from the debris of a collapsed Shiva temple in Shimla. The weather office has predicted isolated but heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh in the next two days and over Uttarakhand in the next four days.

In a tweet on Wednesday morning, the Chief Minister said that over 800 people were evacuated from their villages in the low-lying areas of Kangra as the water level in Pong Dam rose.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu took to X, formerly Twitter and wrote: “More than 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam, as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir. Evacuation operation is still on as more people are being evacuated."

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On Tuesday, rescue workers recovered three bodies from the rubble due to landslides. One body was pulled out of the debris of a collapsed Shiva temple in Shimla while two people died in a landslide in the city.

All the schools and colleges in the state would remain closed on Wednesday due to inclement weather, an order issued by the education department said. Additionally, Himachal Pradesh University suspended teaching activities till August 19 in view of the torrential rains. The university library will also remain closed till August 20.

Meanwhile, a yellow alert has also been issued for several places in Uttarakhand for the next four days till August 19. 

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