More than 50 people have been killed as rains wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides that blocked key roads, and damaged homes.
“Around 55 people have lost their lives in the state till now. The death toll might go up. Restoration work is being done on a war footing,” Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday while speaking to ANI.
He also stated that the Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads has been opened.
“I spoke to (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah ji yesterday who has assured all help. I also spoke to JP Nadda ji, Kharge ji, Rahul Gandhi ji, and Priyanka ji….The reopening of schools will be decided based on weather conditions. One Army helicopter deployed in Shimla for any emergency…” the CM added.
Meanwhile, with the recovery of one more body from a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla, the total number of bodies recovered in the twin landslide sites at Summerhill and Fagli has increased to 15 while more than 10 people are still feared buried under the debris.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 am and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.
The Skymet Vice president Meteorology and Climate Change Mahesh Palawat said moderate to heavy rain is expected over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during the next two days. Additionally, he warned that another heavy spell is possible from August 20.
