Monsoon Wreaks Havoc in Himachal As 53 Killed Since Monday; Rains Likely in These States | Updates – News18

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a ‘red alert’ for the next 24 hours in several parts of both Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in the hilly region.

The weather body also predicted ‘heavy to very heavy rains’ for the next 24 hours and asked locals and tourists to remain in safety.

Himachal is witnessing a series of tragic events triggered by incessant rains and thunderstorms that caused heavy loss of properties and mass evacuation. The IMD further added that the red alert will soon turn into an orange alert as weather conditions are likely to improve soon.

Heavy rains battered the state since Sunday, triggering landslides and cloudbursts that blocked several roads and led to house collapse incidents.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summer Hill around 6 am on Tuesday,  Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.

• Two more bodies were pulled out of the rubble from the site of the collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on Tuesday. Rescuers feared 10 more bodies are still trapped there as the death toll rose to 53.
• Citing the intense weather conditions in the state, the Himachal Pradesh University has suspended teaching activities till August 19.
• As per weather forecasts, the Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar areas in Uttarakhand were likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.
• The IMD has predicted scattered rainfall activity in the next 24 hours for Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
• The weather body on Tuesday predicted ‘light to moderate spells of rain’ in Mumbai and its suburbs. The city is likely to see a cloudy sky with light rainfall on Wednesday.
• Parts of Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand are very likely to witness heavy rainfall on August 16 and August 17.
• Delhi on Tuesday witnessed very light rain or thundershowers. Yamuna level crossed the warning sign in the national capital, approaching the danger level mark of 205.33 metres.
• A fisherman warning was issued in the Andaman Sea Coast for August 15-16 after rainfall in the coastal region.
• Squally weather with gutsy winds is likely to prevail over the southeast Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, as per the IMD bulletin.
• Heavy rainfall is also very likely to prevail over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands on August 15, 16 and 17.