Heavy monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 33 people dead and many others trapped, officials told local media on Monday.
A cloudburst in the state’s Solan district on Sunday night killed nine people in the area, and 12 people died following two landslides in Shimla, the state’s capital, authorities told the Press Trust of India news agency. The state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said rescuers in Shimla were working to clear the debris and help those still trapped.
Homes in Solan were washed away and roads flooded in the incessant rains, police told PTI. In Shimla, the landslides brought down a Hindu temple, which was crowded with devotees, raising fears that the death toll could rise as rescue work carries on.