Himachal Pradesh is witnessing intense rainfall as the monsoon became active across country. Amid the ongoing heavy rainfall, a five-storey building in Shimla’s Bhattakufar area collapsed early Monday morning. Luckily, no one was hurt as the occupants were told to evacuate the house last night as a precaution.
The timely evacuation came after the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for several parts of the state, including Shimla, on Sunday. The building had already developed cracks, reportedly due to ongoing four-lane road construction nearby.
A video shared by a news channel on ‘X’ captured the tense moment — at first, the building stands visibly damaged but intact. Then, as the cracks widen, the entire structure crumbles in seconds, with relentless rain pouring down in the background. It’s a chilling reminder of the risks heavy rains can pose to unstable infrastructure.
129 roads blocked, power supply hit
Rain continues to wreak havoc in the state, with three more lives lost in the past 24 hours, bringing the monsoon-related death toll to 20 since June 20.
As per the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) data one person each drowned in Una and Bilaspur, while another tragically died after falling from a height in Shimla district.
The relentless downpour has also caused widespread disruption across the state. As of now, 129 roads have been closed due to rain-related damage — with Sirmaur (57 roads) and Mandi (44 roads) being the worst affected. Power supply has also taken a major hit, with 612 transformers currently out of service.
Since the beginning of the monsoon on June 20, as many as 20 individuals have died in the state, and four are missing, according to the SEOC data
These fresh tragedies come as a grim reminder of 2023’s devastation, when Himachal experienced its deadliest monsoon season ever, claiming over 550 lives.
Houses flooded in Solan
A bridge near the Himuda Complex in Solan’s Barotiwala industrial area was swept away by strong currents, cutting off access to nearby areas. Roads leading to Mandhala and Bagguwala were also blocked due to the heavy rainfall.
In Baddi, the Bald river swelled dangerously near Jhadmajri, raising fears among residents. Over 20 homes in Shivalik Nagar were inundated, with water levels rising up to four feet. Frustrated locals blamed the recurring flooding on poor drainage systems and said they had repeatedly alerted the administration, but little had been done.
Flash flood warning in 10 districts
The Meteorological Department has issued a warning of moderate to high flash flood risk across 10 districts, including Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Una, and Chamba.
In Mandi, rising water levels in the Juni Khad and Beas rivers have raised safety concerns, and officials have urged people tourists and locals to stay away from riverbanks as a precaution.
Meanwhile, water discharge from the Larji dam led to the opening of all five spillway gates at the Pandoh dam, causing the Beas River to swell to 44,000 cusecs. As a result, power generation at the Dehar Power House had to be temporarily suspended.
Schools shut in four districts as red alert issued
With a red alert in place, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the deputy commissioners of Kangra, Mandi, Solan, and Sirmaur to close all schools on Monday, June 30, as a safety measure.
In Mandi, DC Apoorva Devgan announced a holiday for all schools, colleges, and anganwadi centres — with the exception of IIT Mandi, Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, and other medical institutions. In Kangra, DC Hemraj Bairwa also declared a day off for all non-residential educational institutions.
Shimla-Kalka rail services disrupted
Train operations on the Shimla-Kalka heritage rail line were suspended after boulders and trees fell on the tracks near Solan’s Koti area. The first morning train was stranded at Koti station, while others were held at Gumman and Kalka, adding to the disruption caused by blocked roads across the region.
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