SHIMLA, July 17 — At least 16 persons were killed in rain and landslide related mishaps in Himachal Pradesh today.

The districts of Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Kinnaur had continuous rain for the second day today, flooding the rivers and nullahs and also triggering landslides at many places.

The Shimla-Kalka highway was closed because of massive landslides at Salogra and Dedghrat. Bus services between Shimla, Solan and Chandigarh remained suspended during the day.

The air and train services were also cancelled because of bad weather and landslips on the rail track between Shimla and Kalka.

Reports said six tourists were killed when a Tata Sumo carrying them tossed down the hill after being hit by a landslide at Dedghrat between Salogra and Kandaghat on the Shimla-Kalka highway. Four occupants were reportedly injured seriously. The vehicle was buried under the debris.

The tourists killed in the Tata Sumo were from Maharashtra and belonged to a single family. Among the killed were three women.

The six killed have been identified as Ganga, Naresh, Heena, Hitendra, Ramesh, and Jamuna.

Seven passengers of an HRTC bus were killed and 19 injured when the vehicle slipped off the road near Haripur in Subathu. The injured were rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, and various other hospitals for treatment after the accident last evening.

Kuljeet Singh (35) was washed away in the flooded Beas in Kangra district and a child was missing at Sungri in Shimla district.

A Nepali labourer, Raju, was killed when he was hit by a boulder at Chora near Neogalsari where a massive landslide has blocked National Highway 22 in Kinnaur district. The tankers carrying additional supply of diesel were also held up because of the landslide.

The efforts to reopen the Hindustan-Tibet highway suffered a setback as the foot bridge launched at Sholding, where the main bridge was washed away on July 12, was uprooted this afternoon due to flooding of the nullah. The highway was also closed at Kalimitti, Jhakri and Manglad.

The water supply schemes of Solan and Parwanoo towns suffered extensive damage.

A school teacher suffered fracture after being hit by a landslip near Jabli.

Many roads in and around Shimla were damaged due to landslides affecting vehicular traffic. The road to Chopal was closed at Deha, while the Shimla bypass was damaged near Kasumpti. Some houses were threatened due to landslides.

Some houses were damaged at Ani in Kulu district due to heavy rain which lashed the area.

HAMIRPUR: Heavy rains disrupted normal life throughout the district on Monday and also paralysed power supply, water supply and telecom services in the interiors of the district. Road traffic was also affected on kutcha roads where debris made it impossible to move due to landslides

Attendance in schools and colleges was thin. Many office-goers were affected.

The rain also brought down the temperature and provided relief from the heat.

Meanwhile, farmers welcomed the showers claiming it to be beneficial for the kharif crops.

KASAULI: Landslides caused by heavy rainfall in the region have disrupted movement of vehicular traffic on the Kalka-Shimla road at many places. The road remained closed at Jabli on the Kalka-Dharampur road, Salogra on the Solan-Shimla road and other link roads of the region, including Subathu, Kasauli, Dharampur and Jagjitnagar roads.

The house of a CRPF commandant, Mr S.R. Panthi, of 18th battalion near Garkhal was damaged due to heavy landslides this morning. The rear wall developed cracks. Roots of the nearby trees have been exposed, threatening the occupants. Water seeped into two other houses in the nearby villages forcing the occupants to vacate the houses.

Even recently built new houses in the nearby villages have developed cracks and are facing threat of a fresh landslide due to the continuous rains, including Animal Husbandry Hospital, near Garkhal, about 5 km from here.

A Tata Sumo and a Maruti van parked on the roadside at Nahri, near Kasauli, were washed away in the heavy rains. The electricity supply and telephone lines have developed a snag at many places, including Kasauli, Dharampur and Garkhal.

The Garkhal-Jagjitnagar road has sunk by a few inches due to the ongoing heavy rains, threatening traffic and the nearby buildings. The Tehsildar, Mr J.C. Sharma, visited the affected areas and promised help to the victims.

KATHUA: Two women of Patel Nagar here were washed away on Sunday in a nullah near Basantpur in the district. A number of women were taking bath in the nullah on the eve of Guru Purnima and lunar eclipse when the incident happened.

Three women were washed away but one of them was rescued by some Gujjar youths while others two could not be saved.

Their bodies were fished out with the help of local police and divers. The deceased have been identified as Vijay Kumar (45) and Ram Payari (47). The bodies were handed over to their families after post-mortem.

NAHAN: Coinciding with the arrival of a high-level team headed by a senior officer from the Chief Minister’s Office and the Chief Engineer (Design) on the complaint of Mr Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, MLA from Shillai, to inquire into the twisted structure of Sataun bridge, strong waves of the Giri river swept away the bridge today before the committee could reach the spot to take account of the damage caused to the bridge to be constructed with a cost of more than Rs 1 crore.

The central pillar of the bridge had tilted leaving a crevice and disconnecting two sides at the onset of the monsoon last month.

According to confirmed reports the bridge has been completely devastated by the rising waters of the Giri and just one small portion of it is visible towards the Sataun side. The main central pillar of the bridge has also completely been washed away.

The bridge was being built with the financial assistance of NABARD. The actual loss caused to the HP Government could not be known immediately as no senior officer was available for comments.

Eyewitnesses told this correspondent the central pillar had bent towards Paonta side before noon which created panic among the PWD authorities but in the after-noon the bridge was completely washed away. Continuous rain for the past 24 hours has raised the water level of the Giri suddenly.

PARWANOO: The first heavy rain in this area caused heavy damage. According to officials of the local nagar palika, the actual extent of damage is being calculated but is estimated to be about Rs 30 to 40 lakh.

A portion of the road in Sector 5 here was completely damaged and grocery shop belonging to the nagar palika in Sector 5 was also washed away due to heavy landslides in the area. The factories along the nullah in Sector 5 were also affected due to heavy floods.

SOLAN: Four children were injured seriously when a portion of their school building collapsed at Guggaghat, about 6 km from here, following heavy downpour here on Monday.

Traffic on the Kalka-Shimla national highway and most link roads remained blocked for long hours following huge landslides.

Though traffic, remained suspended for over five hours when a landslide struck the national highway near Mandsar village, about 8 km from here. Traffic also remained suspended for nearly two hours near Jabli where several landslides blocked the Kalka-Shimla road below the Cosmo Ferrities factory. Hundreds of vehicles with over, 5,000 passengers remained stranded during the road blockade.

Scores of trees were uprooted and a transformer of the HPSEB was damaged when a huge pine tree fell on it near Dharampur.

Twenty heads of cattle were washed away and 30 families living in Fauji Colony, near Baddi, had to be evacuated to safer places following the colony’s inundation by the heavily swollen Sirsa. A 325 metre-long bridge on this river was also washed away.

The torrential rains that lashed this district during the past 12 hours had taken a heavy toll of public and private property. Most of the roads and some bridges had been damaged at several places. The district administration was assessing the loss which was being described as very heavy.

Traffic on the Kalka-Shimla rail section was suspended after landslides blocked the tracks at Koti, Gumma, Sanwara, Salogra and Dohri Dewar, near here.

The ADM Mr S.C. Kalsotra, said heavy discharge of flood waters into the Balad Khud in Nalagarh tehsil entered a jhuggi settlement near Nalagarh forcing the inhabitants to leave their homes.

MALERKOTLA: Incessant rain disrupted life here in the morning. Water entered several houses and shops in the low-lying areas in various localities of the town, especially in Loha Bazar, College Road, Dhobi Gate, Satta Chowk, Talab Bazaar and Mohalla Sadewala. The local bus stand was flooded with two to three feet high water.

Many trees were uprooted on the Malerkotla-Ludhiana road which blocked traffic. However, the residents alleged the Punjab Government had failed to rectify the drainage system of this town. Due to rain attendance in schools and other offices was also thin.

MOGA: Almost all localities in this town were flooded on Monday. The town almost turned into a lake following torrential rain which lashed the town for over two hours continuously early in the morning.

Shopkeepers and others suffered heavy losses as rain water entered houses and shops, causing considerable damage to property. The entire underground sewage system, the construction of which has been in progress since last month, suffered heavily.