A large volume of debris fell from the steep hills near Merut Nallah around 6 am, ensnaring two vehicles in the mud. The Ribba-Kanda link road was also blocked following flooding in the Ribba drain. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, as stated by Deputy Commissioner Amit Sharma to PTI.
A JCB machine was quickly dispatched to Choling for restoration efforts, and the highway was cleared for vehicular traffic by around 10 am, he mentioned.
As per the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), 60 roads across the state were closed due to rain as of Friday morning, affecting 48 electricity transformers and disrupting 27 water supply schemes.
Additionally, 24 pilgrims stranded near a temple in the Bharmour subdivision of Chamba district have been rescued. Flash floods brought on by heavy rain had demolished a temporary wooden bridge, isolating access to the temple.
A coordinated rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local administration, the mountaineering institute, and the Public Works Department (PWD) successfully evacuated the devotees on Thursday. They had been trapped since Wednesday.
The rescued pilgrims appealed to the Chamba district administration for the development of a proper track to improve access to the temple.
Moderate rainfall affected various areas of the state since Thursday evening, with Baldwara in Mandi district recording 32 mm of precipitation, followed by Sarahan (27 mm), Bilaspur (25.8 mm), Shimla (19.5 mm), Berthin (18.6 mm), Slapper (18 mm), and Murari Devi (16 mm).
Moreover, Shimla and Sundernagar also experienced thunderstorms and lightning.
The Shimla Met office issued an orange alert, cautioning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas on July 4 and 5.
(Edited by : Megha Rani)
First Published: Jul 3, 2026 12:05 PM IST
