Death toll in India's rain-hit Himachal Pradesh rises to 71

NEW DELHI, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The death toll over the past three days from rain-related incidents in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh has risen to 71, confirmed a senior disaster management official of the state on Wednesday.

Commenting on the disaster situation in the hilly state, Principal Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, Onkar Chand Sharma said that the relief and rescue work was going on in affected areas in the state and that death toll and estimate of the total damage could rise in the coming days.

He also said that the loss of human life and the damage to properties during the past two weeks were more than what the state had seen during the entire month of July.

"More damages have occurred during Aug. 13, 14 and 15 than in July. The death toll is 71 and there has been a loss of properties. The estimate could increase because now people are involved in rescue and relief works and a detailed estimate will take time," media reports quoted the official as saying, adding that 2,500 people were evacuated to safe places.

Meanwhile, the state government decided to shut all educational institutions for Thursday to ensure the safety of students.

Schools have been shut in the state for the past couple of days owing to the inclement weather, amid landslides and floods-like situations.