Himachal, Ukhand battered by heavy rain; dozens killed

Devastating landslides and rampaging rivers triggered by heavy overnight rain on Monday killed at least 52 people in Himachal Pradesh and left at least 13 people dead or missing in Uttarakhand, while officials said that dozens more may have been killed in the two Himalayan states

- Naresh K Thakur

The torrential downpour washed away vehicles and subsumed buildings into flood waters, while key road and rail links were destroyed -as tragedy struck not just remote areas but the main cities of the two states and popular tourist destinations. Among the places to be hit was a temple in Shimla, where 11 bodies were found and 20 more presumed to be buried under the debris. And Rishikesh, which received a peak amount of rain for any location in India on Monday at 420mm, that triggered mudslides that swamped trucks, buses and vehicles, and trapped people in their homes.

"Over 50 people have lost their lives in the state in last 24 hours. Over 20 people are still trapped, the death toll can also increase. Search and rescue operation is underway. We have taken the decision not to organise any cultural program on the occasion of Independence Day," said Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

In Uttarakhand, at least 13 people were confirmed or feared dead across the state and the government suspended the Char Dham Yatra for two days after highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri were snapped by landslides at several places.