Shimla, Sept. 2 -- A 35-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter were among five people killed due to landslides triggered by heavy rain that disrupted essential services in Shimla district, officials said on Monday. In Junga, Virender Kumar and his daughter were killed when a landslide buried their house along with their cattle. His wife survived as she was outside at the time. In Kotkhai's Chol village, an elderly woman, Kalavati, died early on Monday morning when her house collapsed in a landslide. A 23-year-old girl died when a house collapsed in Jubbal's Badhal village. A house collapsed in Sirmaur's Shaimi due to falling of huge rocks from the hill leaving a woman dead. The DDMA said that landslides have also affected several parts of Shimla city, disrupting power and water supplies. In Rohru sub-division, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at Dayar Moli village, putting three houses at risk. Four families were evacuated to safer locations. Sub-divisional magistrate Ramesh Dhamotra said that two cowsheds were buried, trapping two cows and a sheep. Rising water levels in the Shikdi rivulet have added to residents' fears. Train services on the Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge section were hit on Monday after rain triggered landslides at multiple locations in Solan district, leading to the cancellation of six trains. According to a Northern Railway communication, train number 52451, 52453 and 52459 scheduled to depart from Kalka to Shimla, and their link services 52452, 52454 and 52460 from Shimla to Kalka for the journey commencing on September 1 have been cancelled due to a hill slip in the section. Rail officials said restoration work is underway, but services will remain suspended until the affected track is cleared and declared safe for operations. Meanwhile, the DDMA has urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert, as the weather department has forecast continued rainfall in the region. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri have expressed grief over five deaths in state during past 24 hours due to torrential rains which include two deaths at Dubloo, Junga in Shimla Rural, one death each at Chol, of Kotkhai and at village Boli, Panchayat Badhal of Jubbal area and one in Chauras village under Nauradhar tehsil of Renuka ji Vidhansabha area of Sirmaur district. The CM said roads, drinking water schemes, irrigation projects, electricity supply systems, schools, and government institutions have been badly hit. "Learning from the 2023 disaster, the state government this time initiated relief and rescue operations swiftly and managed to keep the situation largely under control compared to 2023," he added. According to Sukhu, Chamba district has suffered the most damage. The CM said that several stretches of the Bharmour-Chamba road have sunk for up to 1.5 km. "Restoration work is being carried out on a war footing, with some sections already reopened. Temporary pedestrian pathways have been created, and free arrangements for food and transport have been provided in affected areas," he said. The CM hit out at the opposition for "playing politics during a crisis". Admitting that the relief work is being hampered by continuous rainfall, he said, "Heavy machinery and Indian Air Force helicopters are being used to clear blocked roads and evacuate people. Revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi has been stationed in Bharmour for the last four days, overseeing relief work". The met department had issued a red alert of light to moderate rain at most places and few intense to very intense spells likely in Sirmaur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Una, Shimla and Solan districts. While orange alert of light to moderate rain at most places and few intense spells likely in remaining districts. The heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear in Himachal as 1,277 roads along with 4 national highways are blocked making commuting in the state a challenge. The disruption is widespread, with five national highways - NH-03, NH-05, NH-707 and NH-305 - are blocked at multiple locations. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has undertaken restoration work of national highways in the state. As per the statement issued by the NHAI on Monday, the restoration work includes 12 locations on the Kullu-Manali section that have been completely washed away and five locations that have been partially damaged by torrent rains/floods, resulting in cutting off connectivity to Manali from the rest of the state through NH-21. Meanwhile, schools will remain closed on September 2 in Shimla district, Kullu, Banjar and Manali in Kullu district, Bilaspur, Una, Lahaul-Spiti, Sirmaur, Chamba and Kangra. In the wake of inclement weather, teaching remains suspended in Himachal Pradesh University on September 2. Heavy rainfall has caused massive destruction in Hamirpur district. In Chabutra village of Sujanpur assembly constituency, the land has sunk due to continuous rains. As a result, five houses have been completely destroyed. Twenty more houses are under danger of collapsing. The administration has shifted the affected families to a local school temporarily, where arrangements for food, water, and shelter have been made. August this year recorded 69% more rainfall than normal across the state, making it the 8th highest August rainfall in the last 124 years and the highest since 1948 in Himachal. Senior scientist at IMD, Himachal Pradesh, Sandeep Kumar Sharma, said: "In the past 24 hours, almost all districts in Himachal have received rain, with the monsoon remaining active. Bilaspur district recorded extremely heavy rainfall, while Solan, Sirmaur, Mandi, and Shimla districts saw heavy to very heavy rain in several areas." Sharma said that the monsoon will remain active on September 2, with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely in some districts....