Amidst the rain havoc in Himachal Pradesh, the death toll has risen to 54. Four additional bodies were discovered at a landslide site near a Shiv temple in Summerhill, Shimla. Another fatality occurred due to a fresh landslide in the state capital. The UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line sustained damage as a 50-meter bridge collapsed near Summer Hill. This caused a portion of the track to hang precariously. As a result, more water had to be released from the Pong dam in a controlled manner, leading to the stranding of villagers in low-lying areas along the Beas river.
Efforts to rescue affected residents were in full swing. On Tuesday evening, authorities managed to save 766 individuals from Fatehpur and the Indora sub-division of Kangra district. Tragedy struck when a massive landslide obliterated a Shiv temple, trapping devotees inside. This incident led to the recovery of a dozen bodies, pushing the overall death toll to 54. A National Disaster Response Force team joined the search and rescue operation. Locals reported that around nine people they were acquainted with remained missing.
Residents voiced concerns about the possibility of more casualties. They speculated that individuals not known to the local population could be buried under debris or swept away by the swollen Beas river. Another landslide occurred in Shimla, resulting in the collapse of five houses in the Krishna Nagar area. These houses had been evacuated earlier due to visible cracks in the walls.
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