Shimla, September 20
The state Cabinet today held an emergent meeting as more than 45 persons have been killed due to house collapse, landslides and property, including crops worth crores, being destroyed due to the havoc wreaked by heavy rains all over the state during the past 24 hours.
The heavy rains that lashed most parts of the state have claimed about 40 lives in Shimla district and five in Sirmour. The state government sounded a high alert and the chief minister, P.K. Dhumal spoke with Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil to inform him about the extensive damage caused by rains, which were still continuing. The chief secretary, Asha Swaroop has rushed to Delhi and the government has released Rs 41 crore for undertaking of rescue and relief work.
Two persons, including a 15-year-old girl, Astha and her grandfather died when a major landslide buried their house under debris late last night between the local Tibetan market and Rivoli cinema hall. Several other persons were injured in the mishap and it was with great difficulty that those buried under the debris could be rescued. About 10 shops owned by Tibetans have been completely buried under debris while eight have been partially damaged.
In another mishap in Kangnadhar village on the outskirts of the town, three persons from Nepal, Sukh Bahadur, his wife Munni and two-year-old child were buried when their hutment was buried under debris due to landslide. In another incident in Dhamandri village in Theog, four persons, Kanshi Ram, his wife and two children died when
their house was buried under debris.
Four persons of a family were buried alive when their house was buried under debris due to landslide in the night in Galeha village of Kotkhai The dead include Kundan Lal, his brother Sohan Lal, his wife Kanta Devi and their two children Sudhanshu and Ishu.
Six tenants residing in the house owned by Dulo Ram were killed when the heavy rains triggered slides damaging the house completely. The six persons killed include Ram Lal, his wife Tripta and their children, Astha and Vishal. Two other women Kaushalya and Usha living in the same building also died under debris.
A six-year-old girl died in a house collapse in Kumsu village of Bhadauli panchayat while a Nepalese labourer died in Nun village under Jarol panchayat in Rampur sub-division. Almost 200 metres of road and a bridge over Browni khud has been washed off on the NH-22 near Jhakri.
There are reports of five people, all of them Nepalese labour being buried alive in a house collapse in Chirgaon area of Rohru. With Chirgain being a remote area, details of the dead are yet to be known. There are also reports of deaths from Narkanda, Tikakr and Nogli in Rampur.
Four persons were killed in two separate accidents caused due to the bad weather and road condition. While two persons died when a Tata Sumo met with an accident at Thopan, two others are reported to be missing. In another accident, two persons died when a canter bearing Haryana number met with an accident near Jangi.
There are reports of about 25 shepherds with a flock of over 10,000 sheep stranded at the grazing pastures in the higher reaches above Chitkul in Kinnuar district. Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, P.S. Draik said the ITBP, the police, and Home Guards personnel had been asked to rescue them.
