A five-storey residential complex collapsed in the Summer Hill locality of Shimla on Monday, as unabated rain and landslides wreaked havoc across Himachal Pradesh.
A sensational video of the collapse, in which the building fell like a stack of cards, has gone viral on social media, prompting fresh concerns over monsoon safety and construction standards.
The building, Raj Niwas, belonged to Anjana Verma, who asserted that it had been evacuated the night before. When approached by the local government and journalists, she said cracks began to appear in the building due to ongoing four-lane road construction work in the area.
First rain and a multiple story building collapses in Shimla. Monsoon has just started and destruction is already here. Big question is what lessons were learnt from previous disasters or are we going to repeat the same story again? pic.twitter.com/r8tB9jZxjq
— Nikhil saini (@iNikhilsaini) June 30, 2025
“We vacated the building in fear, as the constant rain was causing landslides. The construction activity had already damaged our foundation,” she alleged.
Yashpal Verma, the deputy head of the village, also blamed the company executing the road project. He said the building had shown visible cracks since last year.
“Despite knowing the risks, construction never stopped. Now, several other homes in the area are also at risk,” he added.
The collapse came a day after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall across 10 of Himachal Pradesh’s 12 districts including Shimla, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Sirmaur, Una, Kullu, and Chamba.
The alert also warned of potential landslides, waterlogging, road blockages, traffic jams, and disruption of essential services.
The severe weather has already affected transportation. On Sunday, the Shimla-Kalka railway line, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was briefly shut down after boulders and trees fell on the tracks near Solan’s Koti area.
A separate landslide at Koti on the Shimla-Kalka National Highway a vital road link between Shimla and Chandigarh damaged parts of the road, leading to two-to-three-kilometre traffic jams and affecting hundreds of commuters.
According to official reports, at least 129 roads in the state have been closed due to damage. The worst-affected areas are Sirmaur (57 roads closed) and Mandi (44 roads closed), severely disrupting connectivity and emergency services.
Taking proactive measures, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ordered the closure of all schools on Monday in Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, and Solan districts.
“Public safety is our prime concern. We are evaluating the damage and will make additional decisions depending on the weather conditions,” said a spokesperson from the CM’s office.
The Himachal Pradesh government has urged residents in landslide-prone areas to stay alert and avoid unnecessary travel until weather conditions improve.
As the monsoon continues to lash the hill state, residents and environmentalists have renewed concerns over unchecked construction and deforestation. The viral video of the Shimla building collapse has drawn national attention, increasing pressure on the government to enforce stricter building norms and disaster preparedness.
Rescue and disaster management teams remain on high alert, and emergency helplines have been deployed in the worst-hit areas.
The incident serves as a grim reminder of the fragile balance between development and environmental sustainability in Himalayan regions during the monsoon season.
