Massive portion of Himachal hill swept away after landslide
Officials said the cause of the landslide could not be ascertained, but local residents claimed it was due to the bursting of an underground water source
A landslide in Sirmaur of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday (September 6) morning swept away a 200-metre stretch of a hill.
According to officials, the landslide occurred in Noradhar's Chokker village, damaging five houses. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
They said the cause of the landslide could not be ascertained, but local residents claimed it was due to the bursting of an underground water source.
Videos purportedly showed gushing water carrying huge mounds of debris, while alarmed residents cried out and urged people to stay away from the site. The clips have since gone viral on the internet.
Also Read: Punjab floods: 43 dead, over 1,900 villages affected; Central teams visit state
133 landslides
A total of 133 major landslides, 95 flash floods, and 45 cloudbursts have ravaged parts of the state since the onset of monsoon this June.
The local meteorological (MeT) station predicted moderate rain across the state for the next six days and issued a yellow alert for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in Una and Bilaspur districts. The MeT station also predicted thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur districts.
According to the MeT station's announcement, light to moderate rainfall was expected at a few places from September 7 to 12, with one or two spells of heavy rain across isolated locations on Saturday.
Himachal Pradesh has recorded an average rainfall of 943.2 mm during the ongoing monsoon from June 1 to September 6 against the normal rainfall of 648.1 mm, an excess of 46 per cent.