At collapsed temple site in Shimla, anxious eyes in search of loved ones: ‘Hope they are safe somewhere’

Ramesh Sharma, brother of Dr P L Sharma, the director of UIET, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. (Express photo by Saurabh Parashar)

“My uncle Pawan Sharma, 60, and his entire family — his wife, Santosh Sharma, 57; son Aman Sharma, 32; daughter-in-law, Archna Sharma, 27; and three granddaughters aged between 12 and 1.5 years – were present in the temple yesterday when the tragedy struck,” Karandeep, 33, an IT professional working in Chandigarh, told The Indian Express.

“So far, my aunt Santosh Sharma, her son Aman Sharma, and one of her granddaughters, Seshya, have been confirmed dead. Pawan Sharma, Archna Sharma and two of my nieces are still missing. I hope they are safe somewhere,” he added.

The missing Pawan Sharma is a native resident of Summer Hill. He has been popular locally with his decades-old Aman Electricals shop at the Summar Hill market that he named after his son.

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Heavy rains have caused widespread devastation in Himachal Pradesh, leading to the tragic loss of nearly 50 lives in various incidents since Sunday night. (PTI Photo)

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In Shimla, two landslides claimed the lives of 12 people. While a Shiva temple collapsed in Summer Hill area, a landslide took place in Fagli area. (PTI Photo)

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Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited Jadon village in Solan district to assess the situation and met those affected by the cloudbursts. (PTI Photo)

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Ongoing rescue operations are aimed at saving those trapped under the rubble, with approximately 20-25 people feared to be under debris. (PTI Photo)

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The state's meteorological department had previously issued a yellow alert for Sunday and Monday, forecasting rain until August 19. (PTI Photo)

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The continuous rainfall, lasting around 55 hours, led to flooding, landslides, and falling trees, causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure in multiple districts including Mandi, Sirmaur, Shimla, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, and Solan. (PTI Photo)

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The disaster has also impacted the region's utilities, with reports of at least 4,697 distribution transformers damaged and 902 water supply schemes affected. (PTI Photo)

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Many houses are currently without essential services due to the extensive damage caused by the rains. Combo photo showing an undated photo of the Lord Shiva temple near Summer Hill of Shimla before (left) and after a massive landslide today. (PTI Photo)

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Himachal CM urged both residents and tourists to steer clear of landslide-prone areas to ensure their safety. (PTI Photo)

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Educational institutions have been shut and postgraduate and BEd examinations have also been cancelled. (PTI Photo)

Mohit Sharma, the cousin of Pawan Sharma, said, “Pawan Sharma had organised a Pooja in the shrine Monday. This is the reason why his entire family had come to the temple. I was told that when tragedy struck, they were on the main premises of the temple, which was washed away, along with the priest. The priest Suman Pandit is also missing.”

The rescue teams have found 11 bodies so far after the shrine was washed away due to a cloudburst around 7.30 am Monday. The accident took place when an aarti was going on and, according to locals, more than 30 people were inside. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team, along with the Army, started the rescue work within two hours.

Ramesh Sharma, 55, a headmaster with a government senior secondary school in Bilaspur, is another one who is also in pursuit of his missing relatives, including his brother Dr P L Sharma, 59, the director of UIET, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. Dr P L Sharma was at the temple with his wife Rekha Sharma, 54; and son Ish Sharma, 26, a PhD scholar.

Standing on the pile of debris and observing the rescue work, Ramesh Sharma said, “Teams found the body of Rekha Sharma today (Tuesday). The face was disfigured and not recognisable. We identified the body with a gold ring on one of the fingers of the left hand. We matched the gold ring with a recently taken photograph of Rekha Sharma. My elder brother, Dr PL Sharma, and his son are still missing. May God keep them safe.”

SDRF SP (Shimla), Ilma Afroz, said, “The rescue work will continue until finding the last missing person. Today, we have increased our workforce.”

The temple collapse was among the several rain-related accidents in Himachal Pradesh over the last two days, in which more than 50 people have been killed. A yellow alert has been issued in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur and Hamirpur for Tuesday.