Heavy rains kill 11 in Himachal

SHIMLA: At least 11 people have died due to heavy rains that pounded Himachal Pradesh for the third day on Monday, officials said.

Almost 20 houses have been destroyed while 200 cattle were also killed by the monsoon fury.

Life in the state was paralysed Monday as several roads were blocked due to mudslides. Heavy fog covered Shimla and other resorts due to which vehicles moved at snail's pace.

Officials said the Chikni bridge on the Pinjore-Swarghat road in Solan district had been washed away. The Kalka-Shimla toy train service was also disrupted due to landslides at several places.

Power generation has come to a standstill at the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri and the 300 MW Baspa hydel power projects due to heavy silt content in the flooded Sutlej and Baspa rivers. This has severely affected power supply to the northern grid.