Heavy rains triggered building collapses, landslides, and widespread road blockades across Himachal Pradesh on Monday, with 23 people having died in rain-related incidents in the state since the onset of monsoon on June 20, according to official figures.
The State Emergency Operation Centre reported that 259 roads—including 129 in Mandi and 92 in Sirmaur—were closed due to cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides. Additionally, 614 transformers and 130 water supply schemes were disrupted.
Rain fury was seen in popular tourist hill town of Shimla as well, where a five-storey building collapsed within seconds on Monday morning. In Mandi, which has been one of the worst hit areas, several people were reportedly missing on Tuesday after cloudburst triggered flash flood.
Himachal Pradesh weather | Key points
– Himachal monsoon rains: Himachal Pradesh recorded 135 mm of rainfall in June—34 per cent above the normal of 101 mm—marking it the 21st highest June rainfall since 1901. The record remains 252.7 mm in 1971, according to a news agency PTI report. Himachal Pradesh administration has advised public to avoid unnecessary travel, especially in hilly and vulnerable regions, and to stay updated through official weather and disaster alerts.
– Shimla building collapse: In Shimla’s Bhatta Kuffar, a five-storey building collapsed within seconds on Monday morning. Fortunately, the district administration had evacuated the residents in time, preventing casualties. However, two adjacent buildings are now at risk.
– Shimla weather: As per IMD’s 12-hour outlook for 9 pm June 30 to 9 am July 1, light to moderate rain was likely at many places accompanied with one or two spells of intense rain and moderate thunderstorm/lightning at isolated places in Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Kangra, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur districts. IMD website showed Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi and Kangra districts under orange alert.
“We vacated the building on Sunday night as the land was sliding after Saturday’s rain. The building collapsed around 8.15 am on Monday morning,” PTI quoted Ranjana Verma, the building’s owner. She added, “A four-lane road construction had endangered the structure but no measures were taken to ensure its safety.”
– Roads blocked: Rains hit Mandi district the worst, with 139 roads blocked and 314 power transformers disrupted, mostly in Gohar (199), Mandi II (79), and J Nagar (18), as per ANI news agency. HPSDMA, however, stated that no national highways were blocked, allowing emergency movement and logistics support to continue.
– Cloudburst: In Sikaseri village (Sarpara gram panchayat, Rampur), a cloudburst washed away two cowsheds, three cows, two calves, a kitchen, and a room belonging to Rajinder Kumar, Vinod Kumar, and Gopal, sons of Palas Ram. No human casualties were reported. Notably, a cloudburst killed 21 people last July in Samej, under the same panchayat.
– Shimla-Chandigarh highway: On the Shimla-Chandigarh national highway, landslides and shooting stones at five locations forced authorities to divert traffic to a single lane, causing severe jams. Conditions were similar at Chakki Mor in Solan district.
The Subathu-Waknaghat road was shut after a landslide at Delgi. Authorities are working to reopen the route.
Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma visited Chakki Mor and directed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure round-the-clock deployment of equipment and monitor the stretch to maintain commuter safety.
– Mandi, Manali: Traffic disruptions also affected Mandi district, with sliding at Kainchimod near Pandoh partially blocking the Chandigarh-Manali highway. Relief and clearance efforts are ongoing. The weather department issued a moderate flash-flood warning for Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur districts over the next 24 hours. An orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for Wednesday, with wet weather likely to persist until July 6.
On Tuesday morning, several people were reportedly missing after cloudburst in Mandi triggered flash flood. Details were not immediately available.
– Bilaspur: In Bilaspur district, floodwaters entered the Government Senior Secondary School in Kunhmunjhwad, forcing over 130 students to return home. “When I reached the school, I saw that the rooms were filled with water up to my knees and there was only mud on the ground. There was no place for the children to sit, so they had to be sent home,” said vice principal Shyam Lal. A government primary school in Shimla’s Junga area also sustained damage.
