Himachal rains | One more body recovered from debris in Shimla; death toll rises to 52

Shimla: Death toll rises to 52 due to landslides, cloudbursts & house collapse. 15 bodies recovered, 10+ feared buried. NDRF, Army, police & SDRF resume rescue ops. 857 roads blocked, 4,285 transformers & 889 water supply schemes disrupted. Monsoon losses of Rs 7,171 crore. 170 incidents of cloudburst & landslide, 9,600 houses damaged.

With the recovery of one more body from a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on August 15, the total number of bodies recovered in the twin landslide sites at Summerhill and Fagli increased to 15 while more than 10 people are still feared buried under the debris, officials said.

The death toll in incidents such as landslides, cloudbursts and house collapse due to heavy rains since Monday has increased to 52.

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The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 a.m. and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.

In total 15 bodies have been recovered since Monday — 10 at the Shiv temple and five at Fagli. More than 10 people are feared buried at the Shiv temple site according to the local councillor but the number is not verified, he added.

The rescue operations were suspended on Monday night following heavy rainfall.

The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan when the tragedy struck at around 7:15 a.m.