Himachal Pradesh rains: Death toll touches 70, IMD predicts heavy rainfall for 2 days

At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing in Himachal Pradesh after devastating rains pounded the state, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu terming the work of rebuilding infrastructure a “mountain-like challenge”.  

In the last three days alone, the death toll in Himachal Pradesh has gone up to 71, which is more than the death toll of the month of July. IMD has predicted more heavy rainfall in Himachal for the next two days and over Uttarakhand for the next five days. 

"At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing. A total of 57 bodies have been recovered since Sunday night," Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma said, reported news agency PTI.

Since Sunday, the hill state has seen torrential rains that have caused landslides in a number of districts, including Shimla, where three neighborhoods—Summer Hill, Fagli, and Krishna Nagar—have been particularly seriously affected.

Since the start of the monsoon on June 24, 214 individuals have perished in rain-related accidents across the state, while 38 remain missing, according to the state emergency operation centre. About 15 houses in Krishna Nagar have been vacated and the families shifted to safer places, fearing landslides due to incessant rains.

Meanwhile, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that at least 1,100 people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas.

In the past 24 hours, 1,731 people have been evacuated from flood-affected regions of Kangra district's Indora and Fatehpur sub-divisions, according to Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal. According to Jindal, the effort to rescue residents from flood-affected regions is ongoing with the help of Army men, NDRF, and Air Force helicopters.

According to a meteorological official, Himachal Pradesh has already had 742 mm of rain in 54 days of the current monsoon season, compared to the 730 mm average for the season between June 1 and September 30.