Himachal: Blocked due to landslide, NH-5 reopens after 4 hours

Shimla: The National Highway-5 reopened for traffic early Monday after remaining blocked for four hours due to a landslide at Nigulsari in Kinnaur district, officials said.

The NH-5 or the Hindustan-Tibet Road connects Shimla and Kinnaur districts in Himachal Pradesh.

The landslide occurred on Sunday night. No casualty was reported in the incident, officials said.

According to officials, Nigulsari is prone to landslides and a massive landslide occurred at the same spot in September last year.

The road has now been opened for vehicular traffic, said executive engineer of the National Highway Authority of India K L Suman.

Meanwhile, the local Met office has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state on Monday and Tuesday.

Monsoon activity is likely to increase during the next two to three days with fairly widespread precipitation of moderate intensity in the state, it said.

Spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall are likely at isolated places in 10 out of 12 districts - Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Chamba, Kullu, Solan and Sirmaur during the period, the Met said.

The Met department also cautioned of damage to plantation and standing crops, vulnerable structures and kutcha houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.