Shimla:
Moderate rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh in the 24 hours until Friday evening, leading to three deaths and the blocking of 49 roads.
The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,527 lakh so far this monsoon season.
From Thursday evening, three deaths due to rain-related incidents were reported, taking the total death toll to 12 this monsoon.
One person each was electrocuted in Kangra and Shimla districts, while another individual died after falling from a height in Mandi district, officials said.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, 30 roads were closed in Kullu, 10 in Chamba, three in Sirmaur, and two each in Lahaul and Spiti, Mandi and Una districts.
Three electricity transformers and 23 water supply schemes were obstructed.
Meanwhile, the Hindustan-Tibet Road (National Highway-5), which was blocked near Choling in Kinnaur district after heavy rain triggered a massive debris flow early on Friday, has been reopened for all types of vehicles, Deputy Commissioner Amit Sharma told PTI.
A huge amount of debris came down from the steep hills near Merut Nallah around 6 am, trapping two vehicles in the muck. The Ribba-Kanda link road was also blocked after flooding in the Ribba drain. However, no loss of life was reported, he said.
A JCB machine was immediately deployed at Choling for restoration work, and the highway was reopened for vehicular traffic around 10 am, Sharma added.
In Chamba district, around 24 pilgrims stranded near a temple in the Bharmour sub-division since Wednesday have been rescued. Flash floods triggered by heavy rain had washed away a temporary wooden bridge, cutting off access to the temple.
A joint rescue operation by the National Disaster Response Force, local administration, the mountaineering institute and the Public Works Department rescued the devotees on Thursday.
The rescued pilgrims urged the Chamba district administration to develop a proper track to facilitate access to the temple.
Moderate rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh since Thursday evening, with Jubberhatti in the suburbs of state capital Shimla recording 43.5 mm of rainfall, followed by Baldwara (32 mm), Sarahan (27 mm), Bilaspur (25.8 mm), Shimla (19.5 mm), Berthin (18.6 mm), Slapper (18 mm) and Murari Devi (16 mm).
Shimla and Sundernagar also witnessed thunderstorms and lightning.
The Churah administration in Chamba district has advised tourists headed for Sach Pass to avoid staying long during the monsoon season, as sudden snowfall could create hurdles. Sach mountain pass, located at an altitude of 14,500 feet, connects Chamba with the remote Pangi valley.
The Shimla Met office has issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places on July 4 and 5.
On the temperature front, Kukumseri in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest at night with a low of 9.8 degrees Celsius, while Bhuntar in Kullu district was the hottest during the day, recording a high of 34.8 degrees Celsius.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
