Himachal Pradesh: More rains predicted, 10 rescued after being stranded at Kol Dam Hydel Project

The officials said five of those stuck at the site are employees of the forest department -- Bhadur Singh, Bhupesh Thakur, Roop Singh, Babu Ram and Angad Kumar -- while the other five are local people who were identified as Nain Singh, Dagu Ram, Hem Raj, Bhudhi Singh and Dharmendra.

On Friday, the Himachal Pradesh government declared the state a "Natural Calamity Affected Area" in view of the damage caused by heavy rains. Chief Minister Sukhu claimed that the state has suffered losses of Rs 10,000 crore. The announcement came as the death toll in rain-related incidents in the state has climbed to 78. Of the 78 deaths since August 13, 24 were from the three landslides in Shimla alone — 17 at the Shiva temple in Summer Hill, five in Fagli, and two in Krishna Nagar.

Meanwhile, Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal on June 24, 224 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state while 38 others are missing, according to the state emergency operation centre. Besides, over 12,000 houses have been damaged completely or partially, and about 560 roads are still blocked in the state, it said.

However, there seems to be no relief for Himachal Pradesh for the next few day. The Shimla weather department has issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh from August 22-24 and 'yellow alert' for heavy rain on August 21, even as the monsoon remained subdued in the state. Isolated parts of the state witnessed light rain on Sunday, it said.

The Met also warned of moderate risk of flash floods in catchment areas of Chamba and Mandi districts and predicted a wet spell till August 26. Heavy rain can result in landslides, flash floods and increased water levels in rivers and drains, besides causing damage to standing crops, fruit plants and young seedlings, the weather office said.