Himachal Pardesh rains: Toll rises to eight after two men die in road accident in Kinnaur

Shimla: Two persons died when their car slipped off the road and rolled down a hill in tribal Kinnaur district, taking the toll in rain-related deaths to eight in Himachal Pradesh, an official said on Tuesday.

Two residents of Pangi village, Devesh and Rajveer, died after their car slipped off the road and rolled down a hill amid rainfall on Monday night, a district official said. The road in the village had turned slippery due to rainfall in the area, he said.

The toll in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, which is battered by heavy showers, have increased to eight now. While four persons died in Kullu district, one each died in Kangra and Una districts on Monday.

Rupa (18), Sultana (15), Mohit and Sarang (16) were killed in separate incidents in Kullu district, Kullu Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri said. Rupa (18) died in a landslide between Pinni and Tikker in the district, Agnihotri said.

Tilak Raj was swept away by the swelling Nahad Khad (rivulet) in Kangra, the district administration said. A factory manager was buried alive after the factory collapsed due to heavy rains at Gagret in Una district.

Meanwhile, Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) Assistant Design Engineer (ADE) Arun Bhatia said more than 49,000 cusecs of water from the dam would be released at 3 pm on Tuesday.

Bhatia told PTI that reservoir level or water level of Pong Dam, also known as Beas Dam, reached at 1386.84 feet-mark on Monday at 11 pm against the danger level of 1390 feet.