Rain chaos across India: Mizoram, Tripura reel under floods; Uttarakhand, Himachal highways blocked

Torrential monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across several parts of the country on July 10, triggering landslides in the Himalayan states, flooding rivers in the Northeast, disrupting transport networks, and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

At least five more people lost their lives in rain-related incidents, while authorities remained on high alert as heavy rainfall battered several states.

In Himachal Pradesh, heavy to extremely heavy rainfall disrupted normal life, blocking roads, damaging bridges and uprooting trees. A 70-year-old man was killed after falling boulders struck him in Kullu district, while two others were injured in Solan after rocks hit their vehicle.

Authorities closed several roads, including 27 link roads in Shimla, while rockfalls disrupted traffic along the Kalka-Shimla National Highway. Officials also warned that continued landslides could threaten the Sangla bridge in Kinnaur district, potentially cutting off the Sangla Valley.

In Uttarakhand, a teenager died and several others were injured as heavy rains triggered landslides that blocked 118 roads, including the Yamunotri National Highway. A 100-metre stretch of the highway near Syanachatti was damaged, while falling boulders repeatedly disrupted traffic on the Gangotri National Highway.

Swollen rivers, including the Ganga and Yamuna, remained under close monitoring as authorities intensified preparedness measures.

In Jammu and Kashmir, flash floods inundated parts of Mendhar in Poonch district, damaging several houses. Police rescued at least 25 stranded residents after floodwaters entered residential areas.

The Northeast also witnessed widespread disruption.

In Mizoram, more than 80 families were shifted to safer locations after the Khawthlangtuipui River overflowed in Lunglei district. Landslides and rockfalls were reported at over 29 locations across the state.

National Highway-54 remained blocked following a massive landslide near Bualte village, cutting off Lawngtlai and Siaha districts from the rest of the state and leaving several tourists stranded for four days. The Aizawl-Thenzawl-Lunglei highway was also rendered impassable after a major landslide near Ngaizel.

In Tripura, continuous rainfall damaged more than 4,000 houses and forced nearly 11,000 people to take shelter in relief camps. No casualties have been reported so far.

Arunachal Pradesh continued to battle floods and landslides, with fresh damage reported from West Kameng, Upper Subansiri and Tirap districts. The state's flood-related death toll has risen to seven after the body of a missing woman was recovered in Papum Pare district.

In Assam, the State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) issued an advisory urging residents to remain cautious as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast widespread rainfall across the state over the coming days, warning of waterlogging, flash floods and localized landslides.

Elsewhere, Uttar Pradesh reported two rain-related deaths, including a man who fell into a rainwater-filled drain in Noida and a woman killed after her mud house collapsed in Muzaffarnagar. A farmer also died after being struck by lightning in Balrampur.

After days of heavy showers, Delhi-NCR witnessed a dry day, with weather experts predicting subdued rainfall until mid-July as the monsoon trough shifts towards the Himalayan foothills. Similar conditions are expected in Rajasthan, where the IMD forecast a temporary weakening of monsoon activity over the next week.

Heavy rainfall also affected West Bengal, with Cooch Behar recording 143 mm of rain in 24 hours. Waterlogging disrupted traffic in Kolkata, particularly in the Salt Lake Sector V IT hub, while Dum Dum recorded the highest rainfall in south Bengal.

The IMD has forecast fairly widespread to widespread rainfall across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura between July 10 and July 16, while rainfall activity is expected to remain subdued over central and southern peninsular India during the same period.