Landslide on Chandigarh-Shimla national highway: 1 dead, 3 injured
PTC Web Desk: A landslide on the Chandigarh-Shimla National Highway-5 near Parwanoo late Sunday evening led to the tragic death of one person and left three others injured. The accident took place when a Bolero camper, carrying newspapers from Chandigarh, was hit by the landslide around 2:30 am near the "I Love Himachal" park. The vehicle suffered significant damage, and the driver, identified as Devraj from Punjab, succumbed to his injuries after being referred to PGI from ESI Hospital, Parwanoo. The injured are currently receiving treatment at ESI Hospital.
Following the landslide, the highway was closed to all vehicular traffic but was reopened by 6 am after clearance operations. The local police have registered a case and initiated further investigations into the incident.
In a separate incident, another landslide occurred around 9 am on a connecting road in Bharari, Shimla. Fortunately, no vehicles were caught in this landslide, as drivers had already halted due to falling stones, preventing a major disaster. The road was cleared and reopened to traffic after two hours.
Road closures across Himachal Pradesh
The recent heavy rains have caused widespread destruction across Himachal Pradesh, with over 80 roads closed due to landslides. In Shimla, a landslide on the Mehli-Shoghi road buried a vehicle under debris.
Cloudburst in Kinnaur
A cloudburst in Kinnaur's Gyabung and Ropa Nala on Sunday afternoon caused extensive damage to property and agricultural land. The debris from the cloudburst inundated apple orchards and fields, resulting in significant losses to hundreds of apple trees and other cash crops. In Kullu and Lahaul regions, rising water levels in the Beas and Sarei Nala rivers over the past 24 hours have forced the evacuation of residents from five homes as a precautionary measure.
In Kinnaur, the cloudburst led to massive damage in Gyabung and Ropa Panchayat areas. The debris destroyed farmers' fields and orchards, causing damage worth crores of rupees. In Ropa Panchayat, a two-room house belonging to Dharam Singh Mehta was washed away, while another house owned by Hari Singh was filled with water and debris. The Jal Shakti Department in Kinnaur reported damage worth lakhs of rupees to four irrigation channels. Additionally, continuous falling rocks at the Nigulsari block point on National Highway-5 have caused repeated road closures.
Rainfall Forecast
The Shimla Meteorological Centre has issued a yellow alert for rainfall across Himachal Pradesh until August 3. An orange alert for heavy rainfall has been issued for August 1, specifically for Una, Bilaspur, Kangra, and Sirmaur districts. Meanwhile, isolated heavy rain is expected in Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Sirmaur, Solan, and Una districts on Monday.
Despite the recent heavy rains, the monsoon season has been weak overall in Himachal Pradesh, with 38% less rainfall than normal for the season. However, the past 24 hours have seen significant rainfall in the hilly regions, offering some respite and water replenishment.
- With inputs from agencies
