22 dead as heavy monsoon rains trigger flash floods and landslides in Himachal

At least 31 people were killed, 22 of them in Himachal Pradesh alone, as heavy monsoon rains triggered flashfloods, landslides, and house collapses, upending normal life across large swathes of the country.

The fatalities included four each in Uttarakhand and Odisha, and one in Jharkhand.

Heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh since Friday caused landslides and flashfloods, with officials saying 22 people, including eight members of a family, died. Ten people were injured in the state which has reported 36 weather-related incidents.

As many as 743 roads, including the Manali-Chandigarh national highway at Mandi and the Shimla-Chandigath highway at Shoghi, have been blocked for traffic.

In Mandi alone, 13 people died and six went missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said. Those missing are feared dead, he said.

The Chakki bridge in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra collapsed due to heavy rains on Saturday, disrupting train services between Pathankot and Jogindernagar.

In Uttarakhand, a series of cloudbursts early Saturday killed four people, while 10 went missing as rivers breached banks, washed away bridges, and threw mud and waters inside houses, forcing evacuation of multiple villages.

As the gushing waters threatened more damage, a number of roads were blocked for traffic, while all Anganwadi centres and schools were ordered shut in the Pauri district of Uttarakhand.

Rains also pounded parts of eastern India, with Odisha -- already reeling under floods in the Mahanadi river system with around 4 lakh people marooned in 500 villages – reporting four deaths, and neighbouring Jharkhand one.

Odisha braced for more damage with parts in its north receiving rains since Friday night. Prices of vegetables have shot up in the markets of Bhubaneswar with the supply chain disrupted.

Water levels in Subarnarekha, Budhabalang, Baitarani and Salandi are being monitored as Balasore, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj received heavy rain on the previous night, Odisha Water Resources Chief Engineer B K Mishra said on Saturday.

In the neighbouring Jharkhand, heavy rainfall associated with high-speed winds since Friday evening uprooted scores of trees and electricity poles, and submerged low-lying areas in many districts.

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A woman died when a mud wall of her house caved in on her in West Singhbhum district on Saturday morning as the deep depression that crossed the Odisha coast on the previous evening brought incessant rainfall in several areas, an official said.

Normal life was thrown out of gear with rain disrupting power supply in many areas for long hours and causing traffic jams in major cities.

Two flights have also been cancelled till 2 pm due to bad weather on Saturday, officials at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi told PTI.