Shimla, Sept. 4 -- Heavy rains have left Himachal Pradesh struggling with massive infrastructure breakdowns, with 1,286 roads, including six national highways, blocked, 2,809 distribution transformers disrupted, and 1,081 water supply schemes hit, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said on Thursday.

Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, 343 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents across the state, the SDMA said. Of the total fatalities, 183 were caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and house collapses, while 160 people lost their lives in road accidents.

The latest public utility status report, compiled at 10:30 am, shows widespread damage across all 12 districts. Mand...