Editorial note: Himalayan Landslides: Climate Change’s Grim Toll. The recent
landslides in the Himalayas, claiming 57 lives and leaving many missing, stand as a
dire consequence of climate change.
Torrential rains and unchecked construction
have fueled recurring disasters, devastating regions like Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. The tragedy underscores the urgency to combat climate change,
adopt sustainable practices, and bolster resilience against mounting threats.—by
Talukder Tetulia, (Aug 23, 2023 Washington D.C.).
The original news was published on Reuters’ website.
August 15, 20237:36 AM EDTUpdated 9 days ago
Reported by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Bernadette Baum
NEW DELHI, Aug 15 (Reuters) – Rescuers pulled out more bodies on
Tuesday after landslides in India’s Himayalas over the weekend buried homes
and buildings, killing at least 57 people and leaving 10 still trapped or missing,
officials said.
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.
The destruction from the landslides was severe in India’s Himachal Pradesh,
where structures were swept away under rocks and falling trees, roads had
caved in, and power and the railway network disrupted.
“The death toll could rise,” the northern state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder
Singh Sukhu, told news agency ANI as he presided over a muted ceremony
marking India’s Independence Day on Tuesday.
Three more bodies were pulled out on Tuesday from the site of a temple that
collapsed after landslides in state capital Shimla, where 14 people were killed
in rain-related incidents, said disaster management official Praveen Bhardwaj.
At least 55 people have died in the state due to the disaster, Bhardwaj said.
Two people also died in neighbouring Uttarakhand state in rain-related
incidents.
Television footage showed hundreds gathered at rescue sites as emergency
workers and excavating machines removed tree trunks and mud.
“Two of my colleagues and their families are missing … We still have hope
that god will perform a miracle and my colleague professor P.L. Sharma, his
wife and son will be safely rescued,” Pusphpa Lata, a Shimla resident, told
ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake.
Heavy rain is forecast to continue until Wednesday in parts of Himachal Pradesh
and neighbouring Uttarakhand. Both states suffered widespread damage last
month, too, due to incessant downpours, and have recorded 45% and 18% above-
normal rainfall during this monsoon season that began June 1.
(This story has been refiled to make it clear that the heavy rains were attributed
to climate change in paragraph 2)