At least 11 individuals perished as torrential rains swept across numerous regions of northern India on Thursday, with over 250 people unaccounted for following heavy downpours in the Himalayas, including pilgrims marooned on a renowned pilgrimage trail. The State-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported 183 mm (seven inches) of rainfall in the last 24 hours in the popular tourist spot of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh state. More than 50 people were reported missing after intense rainfall in the state capital Shimla and its environs, according to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who mentioned ongoing rescue efforts in a post on X. Two fatalities occurred when a barrage at a power project was breached, disrupting connectivity in the area, as stated by state revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi to news agency ANI. The Indian Express newspaper disclosed that four people were killed due to a cloudburst in Uttarakhand state, and 200 pilgrims were stranded as rain eroded a section of their trekking route. The heavy rains, often leading to fatal flash floods and landslides in the mountainous regions of India, Pakistan, and Nepal in recent years due to unregulated construction, are linked to climate change.
Residents in the national capital were unprepared for a sudden surge of heavy rain on Wednesday evening, with the IMD recording 147 mm (5.8 inches) in the eastern parts of Delhi and its suburbs. Local media reported at least five deaths. Footage from ANI news agency, in which Reuters holds a minority stake, depicted flooding in a northern part of the city where three students drowned in a flooded basement the previous week. The capital's residents have faced a series of severe weather incidents over the past few months, ranging from scorching temperatures to floods and heavy rainfall that led to a roof collapse at the city's airport.
