Watch: Heavy rain triggers massive landslide in Himachal's Shimla, national highway blocked

NEW DELHI: A massive landslide has blocked National Highway 707 near Rohana in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, following heavy rainfall in the region. The highway, which connects Hatkoti and Paonta Sahib, has been closed due to the incident.

A video capturing the landslide shows a large portion of a hill collapsing onto the road, leaving massive rocks obstructing the route.

Recent heavy rains have led to the closure of more than 80 roads across Himachal Pradesh, with Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur, and Kangra districts being the most affected.

The Shimla meteorological office has issued a 'yellow alert', forecasting heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning over the next week until July 12. The weather office has also cautioned about the possibility of flash floods in Kangra, Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi, Sirmaur, and Shimla districts within the next 24 hours.

Despite the normal rainfall for July being 35 mm, the state has already received 72.1 mm of rain, an excess of 106 percent. Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest night temperature at 11.6 degrees Celsius, while Chamba experienced the highest daytime temperature at 34.1 degrees.

In the neighboring state of Uttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted heavy to extremely heavy rain in the coming days. "Thunderstorms with lightning and intense to very intense spells are likely on July 8-9 in the hills and plains of the state," the forecast said.