Over 50 dead in Himachal rain fury

Heavy rainfall has disrupted normal life in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Over 50 people died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, even of them buried under the rubble of a temple in Shimla.This was one of the two landslides reported from the state capital which is still witnessing intense rain.In a second landslide here, five bodies have been pulled out of the rubble in Fagli area while 17 persons rescued, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, as incessant downpours continued to throw normal life out of gear in the state. 

Seven members of a family were killed after a cloudburst hit a village in Solan district, an official said. The incident occurred at Jadon village late on Sunday night. Two houses were washed away and six people were rescued, Solan Divisional Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said. The deceased people were identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8), and Raksha (12), Solan Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Singh said.

In Shimla, nine people were killed after a Shiva temple collapsed in the Summerhill area amid heavy rainfall,  Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told news agency PTI. The other site is in the Fagli area, where several houses were buried under mud and slush.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has appealed to the people to stay indoors and avoid going near drains or rivers. August 15 Independence Day program will go on as usual but our priority is to save lives," says Sukhu. A total of 621 roads, including a maximum of 236 in Mandi, 59 in Shimla, and 40 in Bilaspur district are currently closed for vehicular traffic, according to the state emergency operation center. The weather office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning at isolated places in the state from August 14 to 17 and predicted a wet spell in the state till August 19.

The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert warning of heavy rains during the next 24 hours in Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Tehri Nainital, Haridwar, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. According to the met department moderate to heavy rains may also occur in other parts of the state during this period.Amid heavy rain in Uttarakhand, a building of the Doon Defence College in Dehradun's Maldevta collapsed on Monday. The building was washed away by the strong currents of the River Bandal, which was overflowing.

VIDEO | Dehradun Defence College building in Uttarakhand's Maldevta collapses amid incessant rainfall. More details are awaited.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/YUZJozBkGz

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