The arrival of the southwest monsoon has caused landslides in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla, Kullu and Kinnaur districts. The weather department has since issued an orange alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, and Solan districts in the next 72 hours.
Eight vehicles in Shimla were damaged as concrete-rock debris slid from the hills and landed on parked vehicles in the Malyana area. No loss of life was reported. A small bridge at Indora in Kangra district was washed away in the rain, according to police reports.
Heavy rainfall persisted in Shimla until 2AM on Friday with Jubbarhatti, where the domestic airport is located, receiving 136mm of rainfall. Other parts of the district received 84.3mm of rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The Shimla Municipal Corporation and Public Works Department officials are clearing the debris as early as possible, Shimla’s mayor said.
Tourist destinations such as Mashobra received 38mm of rainfall, Kufri and Shilaroo 24.2mm, Karsog 18.2mm, and Pandoh 12mm, the IMD stated. The lowest rainfall of 1.0mm was received at Solan.
The rains also brought down the minimum temperature to 8.1°C at Kukumseri in the Lahaul and Spiti district, while Shimla recorded a temperature of 16°C. The state also experienced gusty winds blowing at a speed between 29.6 km/hour and 64.75 km/hour.
The Himachal Pradesh government has deployed small units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu and Sirmaur districts, among other measures.
(With inputs from multiple news agencies)