Shimla temple collapse: Lone survivor recounts horror, ‘I shouted for help…’

The lone survivor of the tragic landslide-triggered temple collapse in Shimla recounted his horrific experience on Thursday. The survivor - Ram Singh - said that he was sleeping in a house just next to the Shiv Bari temple when the incident took place.

“As soon as I woke up, there was a sudden loud noise and just after that something fell on me and I was under the debris. I shouted for help and people came to rescue me,” Singh told news agency ANI.

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Stating that he lost all the money in the incident, Singh said,"The money we had was lost during the incident. I requested the state government for additional aid.

“I have injuries in the abdomen region and I need additional help from the government. Whatever money I had saved is lost,” he added.

A total of 13 bodies have been retrieved so far among the 21 people who went missing after a massive landslide struck the Summer Hill area of Shimla earlier this week, said reports. According to the local councilor Virender Thakur, the incident took place around 7:30 am when tonnes of debris flowed down a hill. The victims had gone to the temple to offer prayers when the tragedy struck.

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A family also lost members spanning three generations in the mishap. Officials said that seven members of the family, including three children were inside the Shiv temple when it collapsed.

Rain fury in Himachal Pradesh

Himachal has witnessed one of the worst casualties due to rain-related incidents this monsoon. According to officials, over 60 people have lost their lives in heavy rainfall-triggered landslides, floods, or cloudbursts. The state has also suffered a loss of around ₹10,000 crore, said CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.