Heavy rains trigger floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 16 dead

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Intense monsoon downpours have caused floods and landslides in the Himalayan region of India, resulting in the death of at least 16 individuals and leaving numerous others trapped, according to authorities on Monday.

Seven fatalities were reported following a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh state’s Solan district on Sunday night. In Shimla, the capital of the state, another nine bodies were discovered beneath mud and debris following two landslides, according to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who posted the news on X, the social media network previously referred to as Twitter.

Efforts are underway by state officials to support affected families, and rescue operations are focused on clearing the rubble and assisting those still caught in the aftermath.

Himalayan regions frequently experience cloudbursts, but the growing frequency of extreme weather events has raised concerns among experts. Cloudbursts are defined by rainfall exceeding 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) across a 10 square kilometers (3.86 square miles) area within an hour, leading to severe flooding and landslides. This phenomenon can affect thousands of lives in India’s mountainous regions.

During the relentless rain, homes in Solan were swept away, and roads became inundated, according to police reports provided to the Press Trust of India. Landslides near a Hindu temple in Shimla raised concerns that the death toll may continue to climb as rescue workers struggle to reach those still trapped.

The state government has closed all schools and colleges, and over 700 roads, overwhelmed by floodwaters, have been shut down.

Warnings of further moderate to heavy rainfall in various parts of the state were issued by India’s weather department on Monday. A red alert was declared for intense rains in neighboring Uttarakhand state over the weekend, where the monsoon season has already claimed 60 lives, as reported by PTI.

The region was hit hard in July as well, with record monsoon rainfall killing more than 100 people in two weeks in northern India, including Himachal Pradesh, the most severely affected area.

During the June to September monsoon period, landslides and floods regularly inflict damage in India’s northern Himalayan regions. The increasing frequency of these disasters is believed to be linked to global warming, which contributes to the region’s glacial melt.

Just last year, flash floods took the lives of nearly 200 individuals and destroyed homes in Uttarakhand.

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• Indian Meteorological Department
• Press Trust of India
• Himachal Pradesh Government
• Uttarakhand Government
• Climate Change and Global Warming Information