At least 31 people have died in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in four Indian states since Friday night, officials said on Sunday. In the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh alone, 22 people have been killed in the past 36 hours and several others reported missing after bridges and houses were swept away. "The deaths were reported from the districts of Mandi, Kangra and Chamba. Ten people are also said to be missing," a senior disaster authority official told the media. "Mandi is the worst-hit district, where 13 people have died so far," the official added. Local TV channels aired footage of rescue operations being carried out in Himachal. However, at many places, these operations have been hampered by heavy downpours. Read:India landslide death toll reaches 47 Indian opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to social media to condole the deaths and urge the Himachal government to provide relief to the affected. "There has been heavy destruction in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides, cloudbursts and floods," Gandhi wrote on Facebook this morning. Apart from Himachal, four deaths have been reported from the neighbouring hilly state of Uttarakhand and the eastern state of Odisha. One person died in Jharkhand. "In Uttarakhand in particular, a series of cloudbursts across the state triggered flash floods and landslides that have claimed four lives so far," a police officer said. In the eastern Indian states of Odisha and Jharkhand, five people have been killed in the past 24 hours. "Four of the deaths occurred in Odisha," another official said. Landslides and flash floods due to cloudbursts and heavy rains are common in northern India in the monsoon months of July to September.

Authorities on Friday evaluated some 2,000 people from over a dozen villages in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh after a landslide triggered by torrential rains blocked the flow of a river posing a flood threat. The landslide occurred in the hilly district of  Lahual-Spiti district, bordering the district of Kinnaur where a similar tragedy a couple of days back claimed at least 14 lives. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur tweeted to inform people about the evacuation in Lahual-Spiti district, claiming that the idea was to ensure that "no one is harmed" in case of a sudden flood. Read: India landslide death toll rises to 14 "Based on information received, now the flow of the river is opening. We have given instructions to the district administration to ensure no one is harmed due to this. I also humbly request local people not to go near riverbanks and landslide-prone areas," Thakur tweeted. On Wednesday, another landslide in neighbouring struck a passenger bus and few other vehicles on the Reckong Peo-Shimla highway in Kinnaur, some 200 kms from state capital Shimla. "A total of 14 bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue operations are still on,"  a senior government official told the media. Read: 11 die in India landslide "At least 20 to 30 people are still feared buried at the site." Himachal Pradesh is experiencing the heaviest monsoon rains in recent decades. Just last month, another landslide claimed the lives of nine tourists visiting the state. Not only Himachal Pradesh, the western Indian state of Maharashtra also witnessed heavy monsoon rains in July. More than 100 people lost their lives in the state in last month alone due to rain-related incidents like floods and landslides.

The death toll in the northern India landslide has risen to 14, with the recovery of three more bodies from the hilly site in the past 24 hours. "The three bodies were recovered during the day as rescue operations had to be halted last night due to the fear of more landslides in the state of Himachal Pradesh," a senior government official said on Thursday. "At least 20 to 30 people are still feared buried at the site," he added. Read: 5 of a family killed in Cox’s Bazar landslide The huge landslide struck a passenger bus and few other vehicles on the Reckong Peo-Shimla highway in Kinnaur district, some 200 kms from Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla, on Wednesday afternoon. Apart from the local police, the para-military Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) was soon pressed into rescue operations. The Indian Prime Minister's Office later tweeted to say that Narendra Modi had taken stock of the situation. Read: Landslides hit Chattogram, no casualties reported "PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM  @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations." Himachal Pradesh is experiencing the heaviest monsoon rains in recent decades. Just last month, another landslide claimed the lives of nine tourists visiting the state. Not only Himachal Pradesh, the western Indian state of Maharashtra also witnessed heavy monsoon rains in July. More than 100 people lost their lives in the state in last month alone due to rain-related incidents like floods and landslides.

At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 others feared buried after a huge landslide struck a passenger bus and few other vehicles in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. The tragedy occurred on the Reckong Peo-Shimla highway in the state's Kinnaur district, some 200 kms from Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla. Apart from the local police, the para-military Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) was soon pressed into rescue operations. So far, 13 people have been rescued, officials said. Read: 5 of a family killed in Cox’s Bazar landslide "A landslide reported on Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway in #Kinnaur District in Himachal Pradesh today... One truck, a HRTC Bus and few vehicles reported came under the rubble. Many people reported trapped," the ITBP tweeted. "The bodies of the deceased have been sent to a nearby hospital. Those rescued were also taken to the same medical facility for treatment," a police official told the media. The Indian Prime Minister's Office tweeted to say that Narendra Modi had taken stock of the situation. Read: Landslides hit Chattogram, no casualties reported "PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM  @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations," it said. Himachal Pradesh is experiencing the heaviest monsoon rains in recent decades. Just last month, another landslide claimed the lives of nine tourists visiting the state. Not only Himachal Pradesh, the western Indian state of Maharashtra also witnessed heavy monsoon rains in July. More than 100 people lost their lives in the state in last month alone due to rain-related incidents like floods and landslides.