Shimla

Heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday brought life to a standstill as train services were suspended, schools closed, and 1,311 roads, including six national highways, blocked. The local Met Office issued a red alert for extremely heavy rain in isolated areas, followed by an orange alert for the next day. Major highways such as Chandigarh-Manali, Hindustan-Tibet, and Aut-Sainj were among those shut, officials said. Interior regions suffered the worst as link roads remained blocked, leaving apple growers unable to transport their produce.

In Kullu district, a landslide damaged an under-construction house, though no casualties occurred. Schools and colleges across nine districts, including Shimla, Kangra, and Chamba, remained closed under the Disaster Management Act. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to bring back nearly 5,000 Manimahesh pilgrims stranded in Chamba, where 16 deaths have been reported since August 15. Since the monsoon began on June 20, Himachal has recorded 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts, and 115 major landslides.