Hamirpur, April 21: A 55-year-old woman died after a tree fell on her during a powerful storm in Sujanpur Tira sub-division of Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district on Sunday, officials confirmed.
The victim, Santosh Kumari, was collecting firewood near her house in Mihadpur village when high-speed winds uprooted a tree, burying her underneath.
“We received a call from the deputy pradhan of Bhaleth panchayat about the incident. A police team rushed to the spot but found the woman had already succumbed,” Hamirpur superintendent of police Bhagat Singh Thakur said.
Stormy conditions gripped several parts of the state, including Chamba and Shimla, where heavy rain and hail were reported throughout the day. In Chamba district, the main road to Tissa was blocked, affecting transport and access.
Horticulture officials said hailstorms have caused considerable damage to apple crops in upper Shimla, which are currently in the flowering stage. “Reports of agricultural and horticultural loss have also been received from Chamba,” an official added.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Shimla noted that light rain is likely to continue in isolated high and mid-hill areas on Monday, with overall dry weather expected for the remainder of the week.
“Maximum temperatures are likely to fall by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual rise of 3 to 6 degrees during the following four to five days,” said an IMD official.
Minimum temperatures may also dip by 2 to 3 degrees initially, before rising again later in the week, the department added.
Over the past 24 hours, light to moderate rainfall was recorded in parts of the state. Kothi received the highest at 30 mm, followed by 10 mm in Keylong, 9 mm in Pooh, and 8 mm in Kukumseri.
Other areas, including Manali, Kangra, Dharamshala, and Bharmaur, received between 3 to 6 mm of rainfall.
Thunderstorms were reported in Kangra and Jot, while gusty winds touched 50 km/h in Tabo and 42 km/h in Kufri.
During this period, maximum temperatures dropped by 2–6°C in mid-hills and by 3–7°C in high-hill regions, though minimum temperatures remained largely stable.
