The toll due to flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh rose to 27 after five more bodies were recovered on Sunday, The Hindu reported.
Since August 19, heavy rainfall has battered Himachal Pradesh with 46 incidents of flash floods and cloud bursts being reported.
Ninety-six roads have also been blocked due to landslides and boulders in the state, according to The Indian Express. Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Kullu, Hamirpur and Shimla are among the worst-affected districts.
In Mandi alone, 13 persons died and six were reported missing in landslides and flash floods on August 20, according to Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary. Those missing are feared dead, he had said.
The heavy rainfall had also led to the collapse of the Chakki bridge in Kangra and disrupted train services between Pathankot and Jogindernagar.
On Sunday, fewer incidents of landslides and rolling boulders were reported in the state as rainfall was intermittent.
Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Sharma said that Rs 232.31 crore has been released from the State Disaster Response Fund to the affected districts, according to The Hindu.
India Meteorological Department Director Surinder Pal said that Himachal Pradesh experienced record-breaking single-day rainfall on August 20 that was almost a “300% departure on the higher side than normal” for this period.
“The overall rainfall on Sunday was relatively less than yesterday [August 20] across the state,” Pal said, according to the newspaper. “There will be light to moderate rainfall in the next 24 hours in many places of the state. Between August 23 and August 26, rains are expected to pick up again.”
Rescue operations continue in Uttarkhand
Meanwhile, the teams of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force continued their rescue and search operation on Sunday after heavy rainfall caused havoc in parts of the state.
The toll due to rain-related incidents also rose to five after the body of a man was recovered in the Soda-Saroli area of Dehradun, the Hindustan Times reported.
Earlier, three persons were found dead in Tehri Garhwal district and one in Pauri Garhwal’s Kirti Nagar on August 20. Twelve persons are still missing, according to the state emergency operation centre.
Several rescue operations were also undertaken to rescue tourists from across the state.
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