As the Southwest Monsoon struck the state on Saturday, heavy rains poured in different parts of Himachal Pradesh, causing landslides, blockading roads, smashing vehicles, affecting water supply, and forcing the cancellation of trains on the Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge portion.
According to station master Joginder Singh, all seven trains were canceled because the Kalka-Shimla heritage line was partially blocked by landslides after heavy rains between Kaithlighat and Dharampur. He said that the track would be cleared by late afternoon.
In the upper elevations of the Chamba district, an avalanche claimed the lives of some 300 goats and injured more than 50 more.
In Shimla Town, rushing waves damaged some residences and some parked cars by sweeping away garbage and stones. Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited officials stated that the city's drinking water supply would be affected for a few days.
According to the state emergency operation center, numerous landslides were caused by heavy rain, and 20 roads, including a stretch of the National Highway-5 close to Theog in Shimla, were closed.
MeT authorities reported that heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to fall in Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Mandi, and Kangra districts over the next few days after several areas of the state saw moderate to very severe rainfall beginning on Friday.
The Met Office has issued "orange" warnings for the dates of June 25 and 26, which indicate thunderstorms and lightning in isolated areas, and "yellow" warnings for June 27 and 28.
The wettest place was Kataula in the Mandi district, with 163.3 mm of rain, followed by Sinhuta with 160 mm, Kasauli with 145 mm, and Kangra with 143.5 mm.
(Photo: Tribune/Twitter-@shubhamtorres09)
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