Shimla: The search for survivors of the collapsed Shiv Bawari temple in Shimla’s Summer Hill area continued on Tuesday, with anxious relatives and friends gathered at the site hoping for good news.
The temple collapsed on Monday morning after heavy rain triggered a landslide. Nine people have been confirmed dead so far, and 20 are still missing.
Karandeep Sharma is among the more than two dozen people assembled at the site. He is looking for his father, who was visiting the temple with a group of friends when it collapsed.
“I hope they are safe somewhere,” Sharma said. “I have been waiting here since morning, but there is no news yet.”
Another man, who did not want to be named, said he was looking for his wife and two children. They had gone to the temple to offer prayers for his sick mother.
“I have been searching for them everywhere, but I can’t find them,” he said. “I am so worried. I don’t know what to do.”
The search operation is being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Army. They are using sniffer dogs and heavy machinery to try to reach survivors.
But the operation is being hampered by the heavy rain and the unstable terrain.
“The situation is very challenging,” said NDRF Commandant M P Surbhi. “The rains have made the ground very slippery, and there is a risk of further landslides. But we are doing our best to find survivors.”
The collapse of the Shiv Bawari temple is the latest in a series of natural disasters to hit Himachal Pradesh in recent weeks. Heavy rains have triggered landslides and floods across the state, killing dozens of people and leaving thousands homeless.
The state government has declared a state of emergency and is providing relief to the affected people.
The families of the missing people are hoping for a miracle. They are praying that their loved ones are found safe and sound.