Shimla, Sept. 14 -- Himachal Pradesh's devastating monsoon season has claimed 404 lives since June 20, with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Sunday confirming that 229 deaths were caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, drowning, and house collapses, while another 175 people lost their lives in road accidents.

The SDMA described the scale of destruction as "unprecedented," noting that thousands of homes, farms, and public assets have been damaged across the hill state. The total estimated losses so far amount to Rs 4,48,905.58 lakh (over Rs 44,890 crore).

The cumulative report shows that 229 people died in rain-related disasters, including 48 in landslides, 11 in flash floods, 17 in cloudburst...