Shimla: A five-storey building collapsed in Shimla on Monday as heavy rainfall continued to batter Himachal Pradesh. A video of the incident has gone viral, showing the structure crashing down like a stack of cards.
The building, known as Raj Niwas, was owned by Anjana Verma, who said that it had been evacuated on Sunday night due to continuous rainfall and landslide threats. She alleged that cracks had developed in the structure because of nearby four-lane road construction work.
Yashpal Verma, the village deputy head, echoed the concerns and blamed the construction company, saying the cracks first appeared last year. He claimed the company continued construction despite warnings, and cautioned that several other houses in the area were also at risk.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh. The alert, covering 10 of the state’s 12 districts, includes Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Kangra, Mandi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Una, Kullu, and Chamba.
The weather office has also warned of landslides, waterlogging, structural damage, traffic congestion, and possible disruptions in essential services. On Sunday, train services on the Shimla-Kalka railway line, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were disrupted after boulders and trees fell on the tracks near Solan’s Koti area due to heavy rain.
A landslide near Koti also damaged parts of the Shimla-Kalka National Highway, leading to a traffic jam stretching two to three kilometres. The ongoing rainfall has reportedly led to the closure of 129 roads across Himachal Pradesh. The worst-hit districts are Sirmaur and Mandi, with 57 and 44 road blockages reported respectively.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the deputy commissioners of Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, and Solan to order the closure of schools on Monday as a precautionary measure.