In Himachal Pradesh, heavy downpours triggered landslides and flooding that killed at least 52 people, while 13 people are either dead or missing in Uttarakhand. Buildings were destroyed, cars washed away, and important rail and road connections were disrupted by the intense rain. Extreme rainfall and flooding also affected the states in July. Both the historic Kalka-Shimla railway route and major highways were destroyed. The catastrophic weather serves as a reminder of the effects of the climate issue and the importance of preserving the ecosystem of the Himalayas.
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “Over 50 people have lost their lives in the state in the last 24 hours. Over 20 people are still trapped, and the death toll can also increase. A search and rescue operation is underway. We have taken the decision not to organize any cultural program on the occasion of Independence Day.”
One of the locations was a temple in Shimla, where 11 bodies were discovered and another 20 were likely buried under the rubble. Nearly 800 highways in the state were closed to traffic, with the most being 345 in the Mandi district alone, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
Rishikesh, on Monday, saw the most amount of rain of any place in India (420mm), causing mudslides that devoured buses, trucks, and other vehicles and trapped people in their homes.
At least 13 people in Uttarakhand were confirmed or feared dead throughout the state, and the authorities postponed the Char Dham Yatra for two days after major landslides severed the roadways leading to Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri.
In a meeting with senior authorities to discuss the state's rain situation, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami decided to postpone the Char Dham Yatra for two days. One individual, identified as 26-year-old Kalu Bahadur from Nepal, was killed when a landslide struck a camp at Lincholi near Kedarnath, according to Nandan Singh Rajwar, the disaster management officer for the Rudraprayag district.
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