Five houses were damaged as landslides struck two villages in Shimla, further compounding the magnitude of the destruction in Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains-triggered disasters.
The state has suffered losses of over Rs 3,040 crore due to 91 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts and 93 major landslides it has witnessed during the ongoing monsoon season, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) data showed.
Further according to PTI report , between June 20 and August 30, at least 320 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, while 40 have gone missing, according to the SEOC.
Officials said thousands of pilgrims, who had embarked on the Manimahesh Yatra, are still stranded in Chamba district, with a majority of them being stuck in the Bharmour area. Efforts are afoot to send them home safely.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who took an aerial survey of the landslide-hit Bharmaur in Chamba and the flood-affected Indora and Fatehpur areas in Kangra district, said that pilgrims were safely evacuated and the police and administration had facilitated the journey of young people who wished to walk to Bharmaur.
The revenue and public works minister were at the spot. Directions have been given to open the roads at the earliest, but bad weather is creating an obstruction, he said, adding that pilgrims could be airlifted in small helicopters.
Human lives are comparatively fewer this year compared to the 2023 floods; however, the scale of destruction is much higher this year, he added.
About 6,000 Manimahesh Yatris have been evacuated and sent in buses and taxis to Pathankot and Nurpur, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said in an official statement.
According to the latest reports, approximately 5,000 pilgrims are still in Bharmour, and only about 500 devotees are in Chamba, he said.
Rains in the last few days have led to the closure of 842 roads. This includes national highways such as the Old Hindustan Tibet road, the Mandi-Dharampur road and the Aut-Sainj road.
