International Desk : At least 18 people have been killed and dozens trapped or missing in torrential rain and landslides in India's Himalayas over the weekend, officials said on Monday.

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Television footage from India's Himachal Pradesh state showed houses flattened by landslide, buses and cars hanging on the edge of precipices after roads gave way, and hundreds of people at rescue sites as emergency workers struggled to clear debris.

The chief minister said one the most deadly incidents, a temple collapsed in the state capital, Shimla, with rescuers pulling out at least nine bodies.

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Schools and other educational institutes had been ordered to close and people in danger were being moved to safety in shelters, state officials said.

The India Meteorological Department said parts of the state had received as much as 273 mm of rain in 24 hours.

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State disaster management official Praveen Bhardwaj "This is the first time we're seeing multiple cloudburst incidents and widespread damage in the state."

In the Solan district, houses collapsed after a cloudburst, killing at least seven people, and a mother and her child were killed in the Mandi district when their house collapsed, Bhardwaj said.

Sun News/MR

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