Couple killed, 471 roads closed, schools shut as torrential rains ravage Himachal

A newly married couple was killed and normal life thrown out of gear in Himachal Pradesh as heavy rainfall triggered landslides, blocked 471 roads, and forced the closure of educational institutions, officials said on Monday.

The state's meteorological department has issued a 'red' alert for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in five of the 12 districts of the state, including Shimla, Kangra, Chamba, Sirmaur and Mandi.

Due to the heavy rainfall in Chamba district, a boulder fell on top of a house in Sutanh village early Monday, killing Sunny and Pallu, who had got married recently.

The victims were visiting the woman's parents' house, that got crushed in the incident.

Authorities announced on Monday morning that schools in several subdivisions in four districts of the state would remain closed on Monday due to landslides and road blockages following heavy rains.

The educational institutions were closed in Theog, Rohru, Jubbal, Chopal and Kumarsain in Shimla district, Thunag and Karsog in Mandi district, Ani in Kullu district, and Shillai in Sirmaur district.

However, the delayed announcement caused inconvenience for students and parents.

Of the 471 affected roads, the maximum -- 310 -- were in disaster-hit Mandi district, while 1,199 power distribution transformers and 676 water supply schemes have also been affected, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

National Highway 707 (Hatkoti to Poanta Sahib) is closed near Shillia in Sirmaur district, Mandi-Kullu National Highway is blocked near the 4-mile and 9-mile as debris continues to fall on the road, obstructing vehicular traffic and the Pathankot-Bilaspur National Highway is also blocked, officials said.

A vehicle was buried under a landslide near Thalot in Mandi, while the Nakrod-Thalli Bridge was washed away in the Chamba district. In Shimla, the Jubbarhatti road was shut, leaving office goers stranded for hours.

Heavy rains have lashed several parts of the state since Sunday night. Kangra received the maximum rainfall at 147.4 mm, followed by Nagrota Suriyan (127.4 mm), Chuwari (118.3 mm), Mandi (112.4 mm), Jogindernagar (100 mm), Nahan (95.7 mm), and Pandoh (86 mm) among others.

Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, 72 people have died and 34 have gone missing in rain-related incidents across the state.

Himachal Pradesh has also experienced 34 flash floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 21 landslides this monsoon season, resulting in losses of approximately Rs 1,235 crore, the department said.