Himachal Pradesh: Cloudburst hits Bilaspur; several vehicles buried in debris, farms damaged

NEW DELHI: A cloudburst struck Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district early on Saturday, damaging farmland and burying several vehicles under debris, though no casualties were reported, officials said.The heavy rainfall affected Gutrahan village in the Namhol area of the Naina Devi assembly constituency.Villager Kashmir Singh said gushing waters carried soil and debris across agricultural fields, while many vehicles were also swept away.In Shimla, thick fog reduced visibility to a few metres on Saturday morning, causing problems for commuters, especially during school hours. The local meteorological office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rainfall in parts of the state on Saturday and Sunday. Authorities reported that 503 roads, including Attari-Leh (NH-3), Aut-Sainj (NH-305) and Amritsar-Bhota (NH-503A), were closed on Friday evening due to flooding and landslides. The State Emergency Operation Centre said 953 power transformers and 336 water supply schemes were affected by recent rains and landslides. Since the monsoon began on 20 June, 386 people have died in the state in rain-related incidents and road accidents. Of these, 218 were caused by rain or floods, and 168 by road accidents. Officials estimated that the state has suffered losses of about Rs 4,465 crore. Himachal Pradesh recorded 967.2 mm of rainfall between 1 June and 12 September, 43% above the normal 678.4 mm.