North India Rains: At least 19 killed; Delhi schools to remain shut on Monday as city gets highest rainfall in 40 yrs

At least 19 people were killed as heavy rains wreaked havoc across north India on Sunday.

Capital New Delhi recorded its highest rainfall in a single day in July in 40 years, the Indian Meteorological Department said.

Meanwhile, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that all schools in the capital will remain shut on Monday in view of weather alerts issued by the IMD.

#WATCH | Heavy rainfall leads to waterlogging in national capital. Visuals from Shantipath. pic.twitter.com/VxCTIUoYqP

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

Railway services have also been hit. The Northern Railways said it has cancelled around 17 trains and diverted around 12 others, while traffic has been suspended at four locations due to waterlogging.

Flash floods in Himachal, J&K and Ladakh

Heavy downpour warnings have been issued for certain areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

three sperate incidents of landslides in Himachal Pradesh, where a red alert of extremely heavy rains has been issued for seven districts.

#WATCH | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: Chaba Bridge washed away due to increasing water level of Sutlej River pic.twitter.com/7X9gvauWcn

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

Three members of a family were killed in a house collapse following a landslide in Shimla district’s Kotgarh area, while one death each was reported from Kullu and Chamba districts.

Fourteen major landslides and 13 flash floods have been reported in the past 36 hours while over 700 roads have been closed, according to the Himachal Pradesh emergency operation centre.

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: Several cars washed away in floods caused by heavy rainfall in the Kasol area of Kullu

(Source: Video shot by locals, confirmed by Police) pic.twitter.com/61WsXg08QN

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

In neighbouring Uttarakhand, three pilgrims drowned in the Ganga after their jeep fell into the river amid a landslide near Gular on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway.

State Disaster Response Force and police officials said there were 11 people in the jeep. Five people have been rescued, while a search is on for three others, they said and added that three bodies have been recovered by rescue personnel.

In the Kashipur area of the state, two houses collapsed killing a couple and injuring their granddaughter. Two persons were also killed in Jammu and Kashmir after a landslide hit a passenger bus in Doda district.

Bodies of two soldiers, who were swept away by flash floods while crossing the Dogra Nallah on Saturday, were recovered in Poonch district of the Union Territory.

However, there was some relief in Srinagar from heavy downpour and the yatra to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath resumed on Sunday from the Panjtarni and the Sheshnag base camps after remaining suspended for three days.

There were also reports of snowfall from high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh, where a red alert has been issued for heavy rains.