Dharamshala, Sept. 17 -- Heavy overnight rains caused severe flooding and landslides in Himachal Pradesh, resulting in a house collapse in Mandi's Sundernagar subdivision where three people died, while two persons were swept away by the strong currents of a khad near Suma village in Darang assembly constituency of Mandi district. Officials also reported on Tuesday that two individuals are missing in the Dharampur area of Mandi district following the heavy downpour. Three people died and two were rescued at Baragta village of Sundernagar's Nihri tehsil in Mandi district when debris from an adjoining cliff slid onto a kutcha house around 2.30am, causing it to collapse. According to the officials, five people were inside the house when the landslide struck. While two were rescued, three were buried in the debris and their bodies were recovered later. Rescue operations were carried out jointly by the administration and local residents. "All three bodies have been recovered," said Sundernagar sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Amar Negi. The deceased have been identified as Tangu Devi (64), Kamla Devi (33) and Bhishm Singh (8 months). Meanwhile, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has mourned the death of three persons and said that the state government stands in solidarity with aggrieved families in this hour of grief. He directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to the next of kin of the deceased. The CM took stock of the situation from the deputy commissioners of affected areas and directed them to take necessary and immediate actions to mitigate the impact. He emphasised the need to shift the people living in unsafe buildings to secure locations to avert any untoward incident and ensure their safety. He directed the authorities to restore the damaged roads and water supply schemes in the affected areas on priority so that people do not face any inconvenience. According to reports, the victims were on their way to a temple and were crossing a wooden bridge over the khad in the Drang area when they lost balance and were carried away by the current. The victims have been identified as Prem Singh (45) and Manohar Lal (43). Mandi has been facing continuous rain since Monday night with the bus stand at Dharampur flooded, the officials said, adding buses and vehicles were swept away in the strong flow of water. Police officials said that two people are missing in Dharampur and they are feared swept away by the strong flash flood. "Dharampur town was the worst affected as the Son Khad suddenly swelled and took a furious form. Around midnight, floodwaters gushed into the bus stand, submerging several state-run buses and sweeping away others along with dozens of private vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and scooters," the Dharampur DCP said. Houses and shops were inundated, forcing residents to climb to rooftops for safety. A hostel housing nearly 150 students was also flooded, but all of them managed to move to the upper floors. Police and rescue teams, led by DSP Sanjeev Sood, carried out the overnight rescue operation. After assessing the damage in Dharampur, deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri held a meeting with local administrative and departmental officials to review and evaluate the ongoing relief and restoration work. Agnihotri said that, according to initial estimates, heavy rains and flooding have caused losses of nearly Rs.10 crore to public and private property in Dharampur. He added that the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) alone has suffered an estimated loss of around Rs.6 crore. "As many as 20 buses of the corporation were badly damaged, including 18 from the Dharampur depot and one each from Sarkaghat and Bilaspur depots. The Dharampur bus station also sustained extensive damage. All corporation staff members are safe, he said. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday the state has suffered losses worth nearly Rs.20,000 crore in the last three years due to floods and rain-related disasters. Highlighting examples of faulty planning, Sukhu said constructions close to rivers and nullahs had worsened losses. "No government institution should be built within 100 metres of rivers and streams because they are changing their course. The Dharampur bus stand is a big example - built just 10-25 metres from the river - and it has suffered heavy damage again this year," he pointed out. He said that deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri visited disaster-affected areas of Dharampur of Mandi district and has informed that more than Rs 6 crore damages have been sustained to the HRTC buses. Sukhu while speaking to mediapersons said the latest spell of heavy rains has caused extensive damage across the state, "Last night there was heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh. In Mandi district's Sundernagar's Nihari area, three people died, while two persons are reported missing in Kinnaur. In Kangra, 13 families have been shifted to shelter homes. Certainly, the retreating monsoon is causing destruction in the state." Attributing the increasing devastation to climate change and rising temperatures, Sukhu said, "In the past three years, disasters have caused damages of Rs 20,000 crore to Himachal Pradesh. Our effort is to rebuild the homes of families who have lost everything, and to save lives and reduce deaths. To some extent, we have been successful." Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sukhu said, "Central ministers were visiting the affected areas of the state merely to gain political mileage, but they should also announce relief packages from their respective ministries". He said that BJP leaders should urge the Prime Minister to release a special financial package for the state at the earliest, so that affected families could be provided financial assistance in time. As many as 1,125 educational institutions have been affected due to the torrential rains this year that has resulted in estimated losses of Rs 59.5 crores. This was stated by education minister Rohit Thakur while chairing a review meeting with senior officers and deputy directors of School Education (Higher, Elementary and Quality Wing), on Tuesday. The minister expressed concern over the extensive damage caused to schools by heavy rains, due to which, as of now 1,125 educational institutions have been affected and resulted in estimated losses of Rs 59.5 crore. He said that in 2023, Rs 51.13 crore was released for disaster-related repairs in 646 schools, while in 2025 (till September) Rs 13.22 crore has been disbursed for 77 schools, with Mandi district receiving the highest share of 16.19 crore from 2023 to September 2025. Stressing the urgency of the situation, he directed that restoration work must be carried out on priority so that student's academic activities were not hampered. Congress MLA from Shimla Harish Janartha blamed the poor drainage and sewage management near Portmore Government School for the landslide that hit the hill state capital on Tuesday after heavy rains on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Janartha visited the landslide areas on Tuesday in Himland, leading to blocking of the Circular Road, considered Shimla's lifeline, was also closed following the landslide at Himland. Though no casualty is reported so far. "The drainage and sewage system of Portmore School is not properly maintained. Leakage and poor rainwater discharge arrangements contributed to this landslide," Janartha said....