Floods and landslides kill at least 16 people in northern India

NEW DELHI, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Heavy monsoon rains have triggered floods and landslides in India's Himalayan region, killing at least 16 people and trapping many others, officials said Monday.

A cloudburst in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh state's Solan district on Sunday night killed seven people, and nine more bodies were found under mud and debris after two landslides in Shimla, the state's capital, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

State authorities were assisting impacted families and rescuers were working to clear the debris and help those still trapped, he added.

Houses in Solan were washed away and roads flooded by the incessant rains, police officials told the Press Trust of India. In Shimla, the landslides occurred near a Hindu temple, and authorities said the death toll could rise as they work to pull out those who are still trapped.

Disasters caused by landslides and floods are common in India's Himalayan north during the June-September monsoon season.