Himachal Pradesh: Buildings collapse as landslide hits Kullu, no casualty
A massive landslide struck Anni town in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Thursday morning, causing several buildings to collapse. At least eight to nine large buildings near a bus stand in the town were destroyed, including one that housed two banks. Fortunately, no casualty was reported as the administration identified the risk and evacuated the commercial building two days ago, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said. Notably, two spells of heavy rain since June 24 have ravaged the hill state.
Unrelenting rainfall wreaks havoc
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed at the site. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert in the state, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. The Kullu-Mandi Highway has also sustained significant damage due to heavy rains, disconnecting both cities and leaving several vehicles stranded. The state has witnessed 113 landslides this monsoon season.
Here's video from Anni, 76km from Kullu
Himachal suffered damages of Rs. 8,100 crore
In response to the ongoing crisis, the Himachal Pradesh government earlier declared the entire state "a natural calamity-affected area" and said the state has suffered damages of around Rs. 8,100 crore. To help cope with the disaster, the Centre has announced Rs. 200 crore in aid for the state, while the Karnataka and Rajasthan governments have contributed Rs. 15 crore each, and the Chhattisgarh government has pledged Rs. 11 crore.
346 dead since June 24
The two severe spells of rain since June 24 in Himachal Pradesh have claimed the lives of 346 people, while 38 are still missing. Of the 346 deaths, 224 people died in rain-related incidents, while 117 were killed in road accidents. Notably, 78 people lost their lives as rain wreaked havoc last week. Additionally, 2,216 houses were destroyed or swept away, along with 300 shops and 4,702 cow shelters, while 9,819 residential structures suffered partial damage.
