Strong monsoon downpours have resulted in floods and landslides, and swept away villages in a Himalayan state

Heavy monsoon rains over a course of two weeks have claimed the lives of at least 63 people in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, local authorities said on Thursday.

The torrential rains have led to floods, damaged roads, and the cutting off of many villages in the Himalayan state, according to local media reports. Over 150 houses, 106 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, and 14 bridges have been affected by the adverse weather, which also claimed the lives of 164 cows.

"Our focus now is on search, rescue, and restoration," D C Rana, head of the local disaster management authority, told the media. 

Himachal Pradesh's State Disaster Response Force personnel carried a pregnant woman in a palanquin for several miles to admit her in a hospital on Wednesday, according to a report by NDTV. Other reports shared stories of entire villages being swept away in the state. 

A few states in the Indian plains have also been affected by severe rainfall. Adequate numbers of National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed for relief efforts in affected states, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah wrote in a post on X. He added that reinforcements would also be sent. 

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in northwestern and central India over the next week, with peak intensity expected in the northwest July 6-7. Eastern India is also likely to witness significant rainfall until July 7, the department said. In June, heavy floods in the Himalayan region of India caused at least 36 deaths and affected more than 500,000 people.