CHANDIGARH: Eight multi-storied buildings housing banks, shops and other commercial establishments collapsed like a pack of cards on Thursday morning in the Anni area of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district due to landslides triggered by heavy rains. However, no casualty was reported.
The buildings were vacated last week after they developed cracks and were declared “unsafe” by the administration.
“The assessment of damage is underway,’’ Anni’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Naresh Verma said.
The SDM said all “unsafe” buildings have been vacated as a precautionary measure along the National Highway-305 in the Anni area, severely battered by unprecedented rainfall.
Meanwhile, three more bodies were recovered from the site of a landslide at the Shiv temple in the Summer Hill area of Shimla.
One among them was identified as Neeraj, a resident of Summer Hill, said Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, Superintendent of Police of Shimla.
So far, 27 bodies have been fished out from the rubble of three landslides in the state capital. Two bodies are yet to be recovered.
Himachal has been hit hard by monsoon rains since July in three major spells, triggering landslides, blocking roads, destroying houses and stranding people. The first on July 9 and 10 led to large-scale destruction in Mandi and Kullu districts. Shimla and Solan districts were hit during the second spell on August 14 and 15 and Shimla city suffered heavy damage in the third spell on Tuesday night.
According to sources, the new OPD block of Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital at Shimla and a special ward were inundated after Lakhar bazaar in the state capital was flooded following heavy rainfall. The water entered the basement and ground floor of the hospital, adding difficulties for patients and their attendants.
The NH-3 between Mandi and Kullu districts continues to remain impacted due to a major landslip near Pandoh. The administration has set up relief camps in Pandoh, Aut and Bajaura, an official said.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the government was providing all possible help to the people stranded in Kullu and Manali and the district administration has been directed to make arrangements for boarding and lodging of the stranded free of cost. He said it would take more time to restore NH-3.
The Chief Minister claimed that the state has suffered losses of over Rs 12,000 crore so far and more than 350 persons have lost their lives from rain-related incidents.
Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma said as many as 530 roads were closed and many places were without power as 2,897 transformers were disrupted.