Heavy Rains Trigger Landslides, Road Blockages In Himachal; Panic Spreads | India News
Himachal Pradesh is experiencing heavy rainfall from more than past 24 hours has triggered widespread disruption like landslides, flooding of homes and road blockages.
Due to heavy rainfall, the Shimla-Sunni-Karsog highway has been severely affected and is completely blocked near Devidhar, around 35 kilometres from Shimla, leaving dozens of vehicles and commuters stranded.
Long queues of vehicles were seen lined up on both sides of the landslide site. The situation has caused considerable distress among locals and travellers, as fresh landslides continue to occur intermittently in various areas.
One of the commuter named Ajay, travelling from Shimla to Mandi, “I have been stuck here for the past hour. Just before I reached this point, a landslide occurred. A car in front of me narrowly escaped being hit.”
“Till now, there has been no response from the administration or the PWD (Public Works Department). We are all just waiting. Due to the heavy rains, we are facing a lot of trouble. Landslides are occurring in several places. I even heard that another landslide occurred behind us. When I spoke to people back home, I found out that water had entered several houses due to the rainfall. There’s widespread panic,” he added.
Manish, a traveller from Patiala, Punjab, was on his way to his in-laws’ house in the Sunni area of Shimla district when he got stranded near the landslide site.
“I left Punjab last night and have been trying to reach my in-laws’ house in the Sunni area, but I’ve been stuck here for the last hour. The road is completely blocked, and now rocks are also falling from above,” said Manish, ANI reported.
“I only have 15 kilometres to travel, but I can’t proceed because of the blockage. It’s frightening. Landslides are happening again and again, and stones are falling from above. Now all we can do is wait and hope the road opens soon so we can move ahead,” he added.
As per local reports, panic has gripped residents and travellers in the area. Several shops and homes are reported to have been flooded due to continuous rain. The administration is yet to provide an official response or update on when the blocked highway will be cleared.
