4 Dead In Lightning Strikes In Rajasthan, Hundreds Stranded In Himachal As Monsoon Advances

New Delhi/Shimla/Jaipur: At least four people were killed in lightning strikes in Rajasthan on Monday and hundreds were left stranded in Himachal Pradesh as monsoon rains lashed a large part of north and west India triggering flash floods, landslides and roadblocks at some places. The India Meteorological Department said the Southwest Monsoon further advanced into some more parts of north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, and remaining parts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Delhi witnessed pleasant weather conditions as it received 2 mm rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am. The weather office has forecast a generally cloudy sky with light or moderate rain for the day with the maximum temperature likely to settle at 30 degrees Celsius. In Rajasthan, four people were killed and as many others injured in incidents of lightning strikes as first monsoon rains drenched some parts of the state.

Dinesh (21) died after being struck by lightning in Pali district on Sunday evening, while two cousins -- Hariram (46) and Kamal (32) -- were killed in lightning strikes in Baran's Patpadi. A 10-year-old girl was fatally struck in Chittorgarh. Meanwhile, hundreds of commuters including tourists were stranded in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district as the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway was blocked following flash floods and landslides, officials said on Monday.

A total of 301 roads are closed in the state following heavy rains, while 140 power transformers are disrupted. Flash floods were witnessed in Khotinallah near Aut, about 40 km from Mandi town, on the Pandoh-Kullu stretch due to a heavy downpour and the commuters have been stranded since Sunday evening. The alternative Mandi-Kullu route via Katola, blocked due to landslides, has been opened after almost 20 hours and small vehicles are now being diverted through this stretch, officials in the Mandi administration said.

The Mandi-Pandoh stretch was blocked near 6 Miles after a landslide. The officials said restoration work is underway and explosives are being used to blast heavy boulders blocking roads on this stretch. One way traffic is expected to be restored on this stretch in an hour or two, they said. The commuters have been advised not to move towards Mandi until the road is opened, the officials added.

“It is a nightmarish experience as we have been stuck here since yesterday evening. There are limited hotels and other accommodations available nearby,” said Mohit, a tourist from Chandigarh. There are over two km of jam on both the sides even though the police and administration have stopped traffic at several points on the stretch as the road is blocked, he added.

“We have been stuck since last evening as the road is closed. A large number of vehicles are stranded on both sides of the roads at Aut and 6 Miles," said Prashant, a stranded commuter who was returning to Mandi town from Chandigarh. Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh said as many as 301 roads have been blocked due to heavy rains.

Out of these roads, 180 would be opened by Monday evening, 15 by Tuesday and the remaining by June 30 depending on the weather conditions, Singh told reporters. As many as 390 earth movers and other heavy machinery have been deployed to clear the roads and the department would release a number on which the people can report road related issues by today evening, he added.

There are about 30 road stretches prone to frequent landslides in the state. So far, during the ongoing monsoon season which started on June 24, the PWD has suffered a loss to the tune of about Rs 27 crore. Most parts of neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir received heavy rains on Monday, bringing respite from sweltering heat but also triggering landslides at multiple locations that blocked the key Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and other roads.

Authorities closed all schools upto class 10 in Ramban due to a threat of flash floods owing to heavy rainfall, they said. The 250-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked due to multiple landslides and shooting stones from the hillock at Cafeteria Morh and Mehar in Ramban town in the wee hours of the day, the officials said.

However, the stranded vehicles were cleared around 2.30 pm after road clearance agencies managed to make it worthy of one-way traffic. No fresh traffic was allowed either from Srinagar or Jammu on the highway this morning, the officials said. Meanwhile, the IMD issued an orange alert warning heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Madhya Pradesh till Tuesday morning even as showers continue to lash several areas in the state.

IMD's senior meteorologist Ved Prakash Singh said heavy rain with lightning is likely to continue over Sagar, Narsinghpur, Betul, Mandla, Seoni, Chhindwara, Balaghat and Jabalpur districts. In Mumbai, four persons were injured when a two-storey house collapsed on an adjacent structure in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on Monday. The city and its suburbs received moderate to heavy rains in the last 24 hours, as per civic officials.