Debris rains down as landslide hits Shimla bypass, commuters narrowly escape

A massive landslide hit Shimla's Dhalli-Sanjauli bypass, causing panic as debris fell onto the road; no injuries or vehicle damage were reported.The road was briefly closed and later reopened on one side.Shimla,Oct 8, 2026 07:44 ISTA massive landslide hit the Dhalli-Sanjauli bypass in Shimla on Wednesday evening, triggering panic among commuters as heavy debris suddenly fell onto the road while vehicles were moving on both sides.No injuries and no damage to vehicles have been reported so far. A video of the landslide has also gone viral on social media, showing vehicles parked along the roadside near the spot where the incident took place.The road was closed for some time following the landslide and was later restored, with traffic being allowed to move from one side. Machinery was deployed at the site to clear the debris.The incident has raised concerns among local residents, as several videos of similar incidents of slopes giving way at different locations in the area have surfaced in recent times. The landslide came as hailstorm lashed Shimla on Wednesday, while light to heavy rain was recorded in several parts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said.The Shimla Meteorological Office has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 30 to 50 kmph at isolated places in the state for Thursday and Friday. Palampur recorded the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours since Tuesday evening at 82.7 mm, followed by Sarahan at 28.7 mm, Kothi at 19 mm, Bhattiyat at 18.3 mm, Jot at 17.8 mm, Guler at 16.7 mm, Shimla at 12 mm and Manali at 11 mm.Thunderstorms and lightning were witnessed in Sundernagar, Bhuntar, Shimla, Jubberhatti, Kangra, Jot and Murari Devi, while hailstorm lashed Palampur, Shimla and Jot.Kukumseri recorded the lowest night temperature at 2.9 degrees Celsius, while Una recorded the highest daytime temperature at 32.2 degrees Celsius.- EndsWith inputs from Vikas Sharma.