At least 29 people have died after torrential rains in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh caused flooding and landslides, officials said on Monday, August 14.Seven people, including four children, were killed in a cloudburst in a village in the Solan district on Sunday, according to NDTV.Another nine died after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide in Shimla city that swept away a temple in Shimla’s Summer Hill, according to the Indian Express.The affected areas witnessed incessant rains for about 55 hours that wreaked havoc in several districts in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh.Several parts of the state had received as much as 273 mm (10.75 inches) of rain in 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department said.Rescue operations underwayChief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited the landslide-affected area in Shimla. He urged people to stay inside their homes and to avoid areas prone to landslides.In a video tweeted by him, he offered condolences and said that relief workers and local administration are clearing the debris and searching for survivors trapped under it.“प्रदेश में हो रही भारी बारिश के चलते लोगो से अपील”#safetyfirst#HimachalFloods pic.twitter.com/y8wSBL0mTm— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 14, 2023Police officials told PTI that some 15 to 20 people are feared to be trapped under the rubble in Shimla city.In Solan district, six people were rescued but three have been missing, officials said, according to NDTV.The administration has issued orders to close schools and colleges and more than 700 roads in the region.More rain expected in Himachal PradeshThe IMD on Sunday issued red alerts for heavy rainfall in several districts of Himachal Pradesh and another hilly Indian state Uttarakhand.According to the meteorological department, new Western Disturbances are to be blamed for the heavy rainfall.As per IMD’s forecast, very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places in the district of Chamba, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla, Kullu, and Sirmaur.Authorities closed more than 700 roads have been closed owing to landslides triggered by incessant rain. Officials also told NDTV that a key stretch of the National Highway connecting Shimla and Chandigarh has been affected by recurring landslides, leaving several vehicles stranded along the highway.The government has declared holidays for schools, colleges, and other educational institutes in the state. All the post graduate examinations have been cancelled.The state experiences disaster every monsoon season. This year, it has reported a loss of 257 lives and damage to property amounting to billions of dollars.Experts say extreme weather has become more frequent in recent years as global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers in the Himalayan state.(Inputs from DW were used in this piece.)