Massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh, buildings collapse in Kullu

IMD issues red alert, warning for heavy rainfall over the next two days in the state

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

A devastating landslide destroyed many houses in the Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh today, trapping many people in the debris on Thursday morning. Videos of the landslides shared by ANI show the massive landslide destroying multi-storeyed buildings in minutes.

The agency's post on X (formerly Twitter) states that the visual of a building collapsing in Anni town of Kulli in the video was "confirmed by police".

Emergency response teams, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed to rescue those who have been trapped and ensure the welfare of the people in the region, according to a report by NDTV.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the state over the next two days, starting today. The weather department warns of "imminent heavy to very heavy rainfall" in Himachal Pradesh. During the past 24 hours, Shimla recorded 190 mm of rain, and during one hour, it recorded 60 mm of rain in the morning, an official said.

The Government of Himachal Pradesh declared the whole state a "natural calamity-affected area".

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu took to X to comment on the situation and also shared a video of buildings collapsing. Sukhu wrote, "Disturbing visuals emerge from Anni, Kullu, depicting a massive commercial building collapsing amidst a devastating landslide."

"It's noteworthy that the administration had identified the risk and successfully evacuated the building two days prior," the CM added.

Himachal Pradesh has been experiencing constant rainfall since June. According to the latest information provided by the state government, the total monetary loss in Himachal has reached Rs 8,014.61 crore since June 24.

As reported by Business Standard earlier, around 2,022 houses have been fully damaged, and 9,615 houses have been partially damaged, with 113 landslides occurring in this year's monsoon season. Moreover, at least 224 lives have been lost in the monsoon fury, while 117 people have died in road accidents in the state so far, according to the government bulletin.

The Kullu-Mandi Highway in Himachal Pradesh was damaged following heavy rainfall in the district on Thursday, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.

CM Sukhu-led government has allocated Rs 165.22 crore for restoration work on Wednesday.