11 dead, over 250 missing as rains lash India

NEW DELHI, Aug 01 (Reuters): At least 11 people died after heavy rain lashed various parts of northern India on Thursday and more than 250 people were missing after downpours in the Himalayas, including pilgrims stranded on a famous pilgrimage route.

State-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 183 mm (seven inches) of rain in the past 24 hours in the famous tourist destination of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh state.

More than 50 people were missing after heavy rain over state capital Shimla and surrounding regions, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a post on X, adding that rescue operations were ongoing.

Two people died after a barrage in a power project was breached, obstructing connectivity in the region, state revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi told news agency ANI.

Indian Express newspaper reported that four people were killed after a cloudburst in Uttarakhand state and 200 pilgrims were stranded after rain washed away a part of their walking path.

Torrential rains, which, along with unabated construction have frequently triggered deadly flash floods and landslides in the mountains of India and neighbouring Pakistan and Nepal over the past few years, have been attributed to climate change.

Residents were caught unawares by a sudden bout of intense rain in Delhi on Wednesday evening, with a total of 147 mm (5.8 inches) recorded in eastern parts of Delhi and its suburbs by IMD.