Shimla/ Dharamshala, Aug. 15 -- Two people lost their lives in two fatal boulder strikes in difference places in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, said officials. In the first incident, a 20-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a boulder in the Rampur sub division of Shimla district, while a man went missing after being swept away in the Parvati river in the Manikaran area of Kullu district on Thursday as Himachal witnessed three cloudbursts, triggering floods and landslides. Mira Hamza, a resident of Taklech, was hit by a boulder rolling down a hill near Kholti Nala in Rampur and succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital, officials said, adding that a search was on for the unidentified man who fell into the swollen Parvati river at Chowki in Manikaran in the morning. In the second incident, a 41-year-old devotee died after being struck by a shooting stone during the Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba district of Himachal, officials said. The deceased, identified as Devinder, is a resident of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said the stone hit him on the head and he was taken to the hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The incident occurred on Thursday morning near Gui Nala, about 1 km from Hadsar, the starting point of the Yatra. Following the incident, the pilgrimage was temporarily halted. Chamba deputy commissioner Mukesh Repaswal said that heavy rainfall has triggered shooting stones and landslides along the Chamba-Bharmour highway. "Continuous rain has been falling on the Yatra route since Wednesday afternoon and the weather is expected to remain bad for the next two days. Keeping this in view, we have advised all devotees to remain where they are," hesaid while talking to media. "We have told devotees that it would be better to wait until the weather clears. Those already on the Manimahesh route have been stopped at our base camps like in Dhancho and Gauri Kund, and will be permitted to proceed once weather conditions improve," the DC added. Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal on June 20, as many as 247 people have lost their lives so far. This includes 130 deaths due to rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, and drowning, while 117 people have died in road accidents. Around 2,300 houses have been either partially or completely damaged. The cumulative losses in the state during the monsoon season have so far amounted to around Rs.2,100 crore. Continuous heavy rainfall threw life out of gear in Himachal, with 472 roads, including two national highways, blocked. In Kullu district, 73 roads remain blocked, including a stretch of National Highway (NH-305) at Jhed (Khanag), which is shut due to a landslide. In Lahaul-Spiti district, a section of NH-505 also remains closed. Shimla district reported 99 blocked roads, while 66 roads were shut in Sirmaur district. The road leading to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla, which was blocked earlier, was reopened after two hours. The landslide also damaged two vehicles. Trees got uprooted in several areas of Shimla city. Meanwhile, a private bus travelling from Dharampur to Hamirpur in Mandi district was caught in debris on the Dharampur-Sarkaghat road on Thursday. Around twenty passengers on the bus were evacuated by breaking the emergency door. Shimla mayor Surender Chauhan said, "In the last 15 days, heavy rains have loosened the soil, leading to landslides and uprooted trees. This morning too, we cleared several locations, including areas with dry trees that posed risks. We have hired labourers and deployed machinery to ensure prompt clearance. Wherever there is a road blockage within the limits of the municipal corporation or the town area, we are working on clearing it without delay," he added. Cloudbursts occurred at Shrikhand hill in Nirmand sub division, Bathadh hill of Tirthan Valley in Banjar sub division of Kullu district and at Nanti in Shimla's Rampur area on Wednesday night. Due to the cloudburst at Shrikhand hill, the Kurpan ravine was flooded and the Bagipul market was evacuated by the administration. Kutcha houses on the bank of the Tirthan river were damaged and vehicles washed away. Road connectivity to Ganvi, Kiao, Koot, Kinfi, Kutru, Suru, Roopni, Khanidhar, Kheuncha of three gram panchayats of Ganvi, Kiao and Koot in Rampur area of Shimla district was snapped. Sheds, shops and houses of 26 people in Ghanvi besides a police post and a store of the electricity department were damaged, the officialssaid. Danger looms large over Karpat village due to floods triggered by cloudbursts in the Karpat, Changut and Udgos Nala of the Mayad valley in Lahaul and Spiti district. Due to the cloudburst in the hills behind Khaltunala of Kotkhai in Shimla district around 3 am on Thursday, a flash flood was witnessed in which more than six vehicles and a part of a petrol pump got buried. In Kinnaur district, a flash flood at Hojo Nallah in Pooh swept away two campers, a Bolero, a JCB, a tipper, and a bailey bridge. The flash flood in Changreji Khadd and Tashigang washed away irrigation channels and pipelines critical for farmers. A cloudburst in Bathad tore through the area, sweeping away at least three houses and vehicles, while a flash flood at Kurpan Khad, Baghipul caused disruption but no major reported damage. Lahaul and Spiti reported multiple simultaneous incidents - flash floods near Jahalman, a cloudburst at Munni Nallah that blocked roads and damaged a bridge abutment, a flood near Khurik that halted traffic on National Highway-505, and separate floods at Dared Nallah and Shakoli Nallah that left link roads blocked. Sirmaur's Rajgarh region was hit by a landslide that killed four cattle, injured another, damaged a cowshed, and swept a car nearly 100 metres down a slope. Shimla's water supply was affected along with over 130 other water schemes across Himachal disrupted due to heavy rainfall and high turbidity. Sahil Sharma, spokesperson for Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited, said "Due to floods at the water sources the pumping is completely stopped thus the water distribution will be disrupted in Shimla. Inconvenience is regretted." The army rescued four people, one of who was injured, after a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the higher reaches of Rishi Dogri valley in Kinnaur district on Wednesday evening and the bridge across the Sutlej river was inundated. The site was an active road construction zone under the CPWD towards Gangthang Bralam. The IMD Shimla office has predicted heavy rainfall spells to continue in parts of Himachal till August 20. According to MeT department officials, light to moderate rainfall is very likely at most places on August. Weather office has sounded a yellow alert of heavy rainfall in Kangra, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts on August 15. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged the Centre to provide a special disaster relief package for the state. "There has been damages at several places, and the state is on alert. I have also requested a special package from the Centre as disaster relief," Sukhu said, adding, "In 2023, when we faced losses of Rs.10,000 crore, the Congress party had passed a resolution in the assembly to send to the Centre. Instead of supporting the proposal, the Opposition (BJP) walked out. Now, if they have joined us in demanding assistance, that is a good thing. I hope in the coming time, we will get some help." Sukhusaid. Linking the recurrent destruction faced by the state to climate change, Sukhu said, "Earlier, we never saw such incidents in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. The destruction caused by the rains is definitely the result of global warming and climate change." he said....