Himachal Pradesh IMD Weather Forecast Highlights: Around 55 people were killed as rains wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides that blocked key roads, damaged homes and buried devotees in the rubble of a temple, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed. "The death toll might go up. Restoration work being done on a war footing," the CM was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. He also stated that the Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads have been opened. Meanwhile, fresh cracks appeared in Joshimath, raising fear among the residents of the Uttarakhand town as heavy rains lashed the state, news agency ANI reported. Due to heavy downpour, around 16 families in Panwar Mohalla and Negi Mohalla in Sunil village of Joshimath are at risk, after the upper and lower sides of the village developed cracks at various places, raising the possibility of a major landslide in the area. According to the affected families, people were forced to stay outside their homes at night due to the fear of house collapse. Addressing countrymen from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday expressed concern over the heavy rainfall that has wreaked havoc in the states, ANI reported. The prime minister also assured that both the Centre and the state will help the affected families during times of crisis so they can start their life again. The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in several parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Met department has raised a red alert for both the hilly states which will gradually reduce to am orange alert.
