At least 33 people were killed, and many others are still trapped following flooding and landslides in India’s Himalayan region.
The disaster came after heavy monsoon rains poured over the area, triggering floods and landslides, washing away homes, ABC News reports.
In the Solan district on Sunday, a cloudburst killed nine and 12 other people died in landslides in the state’s capital, officials told the Press Trust of India news agency.
A cloudburst occurs when more than 3.9 inches of rainfall occurs within 3.8 square miles within the span of an hour.
The state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said rescuers in Shimla were working to clear the debris and help those still trapped.
“From the last 48 hours, many people have died, and I appeal to people to stay indoors and not to venture out,” Sukhu said.
Officials say they are worried the death toll will rise, and authorities continue rescue operations.
Authorities also said a Himalayan temple had collapsed in a landslide, killing at least nine people. Workers are still rescuing people who were worshiping at the temple at the time of the collapse.
“We fear at least 25 people are trapped under the debris, and we have already retrieved six bodies,” said Hira Lal Ghezta, an official at the site of the landslide. “We suspect it was a cloudburst which brought upon the landslide leading to [the] collapse of the temple.”
Some 700 roads in the region have been closed. Many schools and colleges in the state have canceled.
In July, northern India saw record monsoon rainfall that killed more than 100 people in just over two weeks.
In Bangladesh, more than 50 people have been killed just this month in weeks of downpours.
In Nepal, an official with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said some 67 people have died in monsoon-related events, and 31 people are still missing.
Monsoon season runs from June to September.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Hansslegers
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
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