On Monday, flooding caused a temple in the Himachal Pradesh state of Northern India to collapse, killing nine people and trapping up to 25 more inside the debris. Another seven people have died elsewhere in the state as a result of heavy rains.
Around 8 a.m. local in the morning, the popular tourist destination temple in Shimla, the state capital, collapsed, the state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, informed local media during a visit to the temple site on Monday.
Sukhu wrote on X (previously known as Twitter) on Monday that the deceased’s bodies had been retrieved and that “local administration is diligently working to clear the debris”.
He added that while rescue efforts are ongoing, about 20 to 25 people are still trapped. Five people have so far been rescued.
Sukhu posted on X on Monday, saying he was “devastated to hear about the loss,” that seven more people had died on Monday due to a cloudburst in the Solan district. “.
“We have directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families during this trying period,” Sukhu added.
“I appeal to people to stay indoors, to not venture near rivers and landslide-prone areas,” Sukhu said.
Due to the ongoing heavy rain, the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for the state and traffic police officials have also urged the general public to avoid traveling.
One of the states most severely impacted by this monsoon season was Himachal Pradesh. As a result of flash floods and landslides in July, the state lost more than 30 people.
The monsoon season in India is allegedly becoming more erratic and disorganized due to the human-caused climate crisis.
Source-CNN
