Himachal Pradesh rain mayhem kills 55; 3 die in Uttarakhand; 'red' alerts issued in India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a 'red alert' for several parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand stating that heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely to occur over the next 24 hours.

Incessant rainfall has battered the two states for the past few days with no relief in sight. The IMD said that the 'red alert' would eventually reduce to an 'orange alert'.

Landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts and other effects of the heavy continuous downpour have taken lives, damaged properties and destroyed infrastructure wreaking havoc on the development activities of the two states.

Top points on Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand rain:

On Independence Day, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that a simple ceremony had been organised and no cultural event was taking place in light of the disaster that his the state.

Sukhu said that around 55 people had died in rain-related mishaps since landslides and incessant rainfall befell the state on Monday. He said, "Around 55 people have lost their lives in the state till now. The death toll might go up. Restoration work being done on a war footing. We are focusing on rescuing people who have been trapped. Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads opened. Main roads have been opened, states roads will take time to be operational."

Fourteen bodies have been so far recovered from the sites of two landslides in Himachal's Shimla and officials fear there could be more people trapped under the debris.

Mandi district accounted for the second-highest number of deaths where 24 people were known to have been killed due to the landslides.

One person has died and four others were feared to be trapped under debris after a landslide, which was triggered by heavy rainfall, hit the Night Life Paradise Camp in Uttarakhand's Pauri district. As per the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), "Yesterday a local caller informed the Pauri Police Control Room that Night Life Paradise Camp was hit by a landslide due to heavy rains in the Village of Jogiana, Mohanchatti. Screams could be heard from the camp where people are feared buried under the debris."

IMD on Tuesday said that parts of Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar were likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Uttarakhand's Rishikesh recorded the highest amount of rainfall across the country on Monday. Three people were killed and 10 were reported missing in rain-related incidents in the state. At least 13 more people have also been killed since Friday in neighbouring Uttarakhand state, officials said on Tuesday.

Roads leading to the revered Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri shrines were damaged due to landslides. As a consequence, the pilgrimage to these shrines, known as the Chardham Yatra, had to be halted for a period of two days.

Major highways were blocked on Monday, including Kalka-Shimla, Kiratpur-Manali, and Pathankot-Mandi, Dharamshala-Shimla routes.

Fresh cracks appeared in Uttarakhand's Joshimath, which has raised fear among the residents of the town as heavy rainfall lashed the state. As reported by PTI, 16 families in Joshimath's Sunil village are at risk, raising the possibility of a major landslide in the area.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level meeting with officials on Monday at his Dehradun residence in regard of the situation arising out of the disaster caused by heavy rainfall in several districts of state. He also conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the state on Monday.