Shimla twin landslides: Death toll rises to 15, more buried under debris of Shiv temple
The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan when the tragedy struck at around 7.15 am
With the recovery of one more body from a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on Tuesday (August 15), the death toll in the twin landslide at Summerhill and Fagli rose to 15 while more than 10 people are still feared buried under the debris, officials said.
Meanwhile, the death toll due to landslides, cloudburst, and house collapse caused by torrential rains since Monday (August 14) has increased to 52.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with the police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 am on Tuesday and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.
In total, 15 bodies have been recovered since Monday (August 14) – 10 at the Shiv temple and five at Fagli. More than 10 people are feared buried at the Shiv temple site according to the local councillor, but the number is not verified, he added.
The rescue operations were suspended on Monday night (August 14) following heavy rainfall.
The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan when the tragedy struck at around 7.15 am.
UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line damaged
The UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was also damaged near Summer Hill in Shimla after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.
The concrete bridge near Summer Hill, 6 km from Shimla, got completely destroyed and the heritage track has suffered damage at five or six places and the most affected stretch is between Shimla and Shoghi, station master Joginder Singh said.
As many as 857 roads were blocked for vehicular traffic and 4,285 transformers and 889 water supply schemes are disrupted in 11 out of 12 districts in the state. Details of Kullu districts are still awaited.
So far, the state has suffered losses to the tune of ₹7,171 crore since the onset of the monsoon on June 24 till August 14, according to the state emergency operation centre.
A total of 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state this monsoon season and about 9,600 houses partially or completely damaged.
(With agency inputs)