Two residents died on Thursday after heavy rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh, resulting in landslide and disruptions on highways, PTI reported.

Chavelu Devi, 55, and Kritika, 17, died in Kullu district after they were trapped under the debris due to a landslide, said State Disaster Management Department Director Sudesh Mokhta.

Their house located in Khadel village of Anni tehsil was hit by debris around 9 am, he added.

In another incident in the district, 10 shops and three vehicles were washed up after a cloudburst at the Deuthi gram panchayat in Anni tehsil around 7.30 am on Thursday.

Mokhta said that an old bus stand and a panchayat building at Deuthi are also at the risk of being washed away, PTI reported. Officials of the revenue department were sent to the spot to take stock of the situation.

Visuals showed that movement of vehicles have been stopped on National Highway 3 as water levels are rising in Tojing nullah in Lahaul subdivision.

“Flash floods were also reported at Lote and Tozing nullahs in Lahaul subdivision and the assessment of losses is being done,” Mokhta said.

Meanwhile in Shimla district, three cars and a pickup vehicle were washed away due to torrential rains in Chopal tehsil’s Diyandali nullah.

In Mandi district, the National Highway 21 was completely blocked due to a landslide at 7 Mile near Pandoh early on Thursday, the emergency operation centre said. Vehicular traffic has been diverted through Kataula, PTI reported.

Two compressors and a construction company store were also washed away in a cloudburst in Chamba district’s Bharmour tehsil on Thursday, Mokhta informed.

State highway number 3 was also blocked due to a flash flood in Sindhwari nullah in Lahaul-Spiti district, PTI reported.

According to the local meteorological department, 141.8 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Sundernagar in the last 24 hours, followed by Hamirpur with 120 millimetres, Sarkaghat 112.3 millimetres, Paonta Sahib 97.6 millimetres, Chopal 74 millimetres, and Mandi 69.8 millimetres.

An orange alert, indicating extremely bad weather, has been issued in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said.

The weather agency has issued a yellow alert, which indicates bad weather, for Kinnaur, Kullu, Bilaspur, Una and Hamirpur districts.

“Under the influence of well-marked low-pressure area and monsoonal winds, light to moderate rainfall very likely to continue in low and mid hills district of Himachal Pradesh during the next 4-5 days,” the weather department said. “High probability of light to moderate precipitation in upper hills viz parts of Lahual Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba district during this period.”

Heavy rainfall is likely in Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan Sirmaur, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts during the next three to four days.

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