Heavy rains and landslides killed more than 50 people in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on Monday, according to local officials.
Among those killed are at least nine people who died when flooding caused a temple in the state capital Shimla, a popular tourist area, to collapse. The incident happened at around 8 a.m. local time, the state’s chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told Indian news agency ANI during a visit to the temple site on Monday.
The bodies of those who died have been retrieved and the “local administration is diligently working to clear the debris,” Sukhu posted on X (previously known as Twitter) on Monday.
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Five people have been rescued but around 20 to 25 people remain trapped, with rescue efforts under way, he added.
Speaking to ANI Monday evening, Sukhu said the death toll had climbed above 50 and that it could continue to rise.
India’s home affairs minister Amit Shah posted on social media that the loss of life was “extremely distressing.”
National disaster response teasm are “engaged in relief and rescue operations along with the local administration. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” he added.
Sukhu posted on X on Monday, saying “we have directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families during this trying period.”
“I appeal to people to stay indoors, to not venture near rivers and landslide-prone areas,” he said.
Traffic police officials have also urged the public to avoid traveling due to the ongoing heavy rain, with the Indian Meteorological Department issuing a red alert for the state.
Videos and images shared on social media show destroyed roads and fallen trees, while and water gushing down mountains sends huge rocks flying.
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Himachal Pradesh, has been one of the worst-affected states in this monsoon season. In July, more than 30 people in the state were killed after flash floods and landslides.
A statement from Sukhu’s office Monday said this monsoon season had seen the highest number of “cloudburst incidents,” or very sudden and destructive rainstorms, in the state for the past 50 years.
Some scientists say the human-caused climate crisis is making India’s monsoon season more chaotic and erratic.
