Himachal Pradesh declares heavy rains as state calamity after death toll rises to 77; yellow alert issued for 10 districts

On Friday, the Himachal Pradesh government declared the massive damage caused by heavy rains as a state calamity. This comes as the death toll in the rain-hit state rose to 77 by the end of Friday.

A government notification issued in the state said the entire hill state has been declared as a "natural calamity affected area" in view of the damage caused to human life and property due to heavy rains.

Three more bodies were recovered from the rubble of a Shiv temple in Summer Hill on Friday, and with the recoveries, the death toll in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh rose to 77. 23 of these deaths were in the three major landslides in Shimla alone -- at the Shiva temple in Summer Hill and in Fagli and Krishnanagar, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said.

About four persons are still feared buried in the temple debris, the SP told PTI.

Heavy rains have lashed the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in several districts, including Shimla.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said rescue operations were underway in full swing and the state government was making efforts to help the affected families, especially those whose houses have been damaged in the flash floods and landslides with its own resources.

"Central teams have inspected the affected areas for loss assessment and we need timely help from the Centre," Sukhu said, adding that Himachal Pradesh has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 crore since the onset of monsoon.

Meanwhile, BJP president J P Nadda will be visiting his home state Himachal Pradesh on Sunday to take stock of the heavy damage inflicted by the recent floods and landslides.

As per the BJP, Nadda will meet the families of some of those who lost their lives and will visit the ancient Shiva temple destroyed by heavy rains and landslides in Shimla. He will meet the local administration in Shimla and Bilaspur and discuss relief and rehabilitation work.

Monsoon fury in Himachal Pradesh

Since the onset of the monsoon in the hill state on June 24, 220 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and 11,637 houses have been partially or completely damaged, according to the state emergency operation centre.

Over 600 roads are still closed in the state, out of which 550 would be opened in the next three days, said Public Works department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh. About 408 transformers and 149 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

Himachal Pradesh weather updates

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, warning of heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in 10 districts of the state on August 21 and 22.

"Rainfall has decreased in the last 48 hours and will continue to do so in the coming four days. However, rainfall is set to increase from August 21 to 23, but it won't be as heavy as it was before," IMD Shimla Director Surender Paul told PTI.