Himachal rains: 3 dead in 24 hrs, schools shut in some districts; Shimla building collapse caught on cam

HImachal Pradesh is veneer a heavily write of rain down as monsoon became combat-ready in all of India on Sunday. Amid the heavy downpour, a five-storey building in Shimla's Bhattakufar, collapsed early Monday morning. Fortunately, no one was injured as the house had been evacuated the previous night.The decision to vacate the structure came as Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alert for parts of the state including Shimla, on Sunday. The building had developed cracks due to the construction of a four-lane road nearby, according to DD News Himachal.In the video shared by the news channel on ‘X’, the building remains upright at first, but the crack widens, the entire structure suddenly collapses in a terrifying manner. Continuous rainfall is visible in the background throughout the clip.3 dead in rain-related incidents, 129 roads blockedThree people died in rain-linked incidents in the past 24 hours, taking the monsoon-related death toll in Himachal Pradesh to 20.According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) cited by news agency PTI, one person each drowned in Una and Bilaspur, while another died after falling from a height in Shimla district.Rain-related incidents have led to the closure of 129 roads across the state. Sirmaur (57 roads) and Mandi (44 roads) reported the maximum damage. Power supply was also hit, with 612 transformers disrupted.Since the start of the monsoon on June 20, 20 people have died in the state, and four are missing, as per SEOC data.In 2023, the state saw over 550 deaths in the worst monsoon season in its history.Industrial areas hit, houses flooded in SolanA bridge near the Himuda Complex in Solan’s Barotiwala industrial area was washed away. Roads to Mandhala and Bagguwala were blocked.In Baddi, the Bald river was flowing dangerously near Jhadmajri. Over 20 houses in Shivalik Nagar were flooded, with water levels reaching four feet. Locals blamed the yearly flooding on poor drainage and said they had informed the administration.Flash flood warning in 10 districts, rivers in spateThe Met department has warned of moderate to high flash-flood risk in 10 districts, including Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Una and Chamba.Water levels rose in the Juni Khad and Beas rivers in Mandi, prompting officials to ask people to stay away from riverbanks.Due to flushing at the Larji dam, all five spillway gates of the Pandoh dam were opened. This increased the water level in the Beas River to 44,000 cusecs, and power generation at Dehar Power House was temporarily halted.Schools closed in rain-affected districtsIn view of the red alert, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the deputy commissioners of Kangra, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur districts to shut all schools on Monday, June 30.Mandi DC Apoorva Devgan declared a holiday for all schools, colleges and anganwadi centres, except IIT Mandi, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, and other medical institutions. Kangra DC Hemraj Bairwa also announced a holiday for all non-residential educational institutions in the district.Shimla-Kalka rail services hit, roads blockedTrain services on the Shimla-Kalka heritage rail line were suspended after boulders and trees fell on the tracks near Solan’s Koti area. The first morning train was stuck at Koti station, while others were halted at Gumman and Kalka.(With PTI inputs)