Heavy rain kills 77 so far…
On Friday, the Himachal Pradesh government declared the massive damage caused by heavy rains as a state calamity.
This comes as the state reported 77 deaths till Friday evening, with another body found in the debris of a Shiva temple in the Summer Hill area.
Four people were buried in the temple debris, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told news agency PTI.
According to a government notice issued in the state, the entire hill state has been declared as a "natural calamity affected area" in view of the damage caused to human life due to heavy rains.
Heavy rains have lashed the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in several districts, including Shimla.
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said rescue operations were going on and the state government was making efforts to help the families who are affected due to rain.
Special care is given to those whose houses have been damaged in flash floods and landslides with their own resources.
Since the onset of the monsoon in the hill state on June 24, 220 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and 11,637 houses have been partially or completely damaged, according to the state emergency operation center.
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