98 killed in Himachal road accidents during monsoon; Chamba, Sirmaur among worst-hit

In Himachal Pradesh, 98 people died in road accidents during the monsoon season between June 30 and August 12, 2024, with Chamba and Sirmaur recording the highest fatalities of 16 each. The major causes included falling rocks, poor road conditions, adverse weather, and human error. On August 5, a pilgrim from Punjab was killed when a boulder crashed through the sunroof of an SUV on the Chamba-Bharmour road.

Another fatal accident occurred on August 8 when a private bus rolled down a steep slope near Chaluj Morh in Chamba, killing eight and injuring 10. A recent incident on August 12 saw a 63-year-old Shimla resident killed and his wife and son injured after a boulder fell on their car on National Highway-205 in Solan. Chamba Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar Saklani noted that accidents in mountainous areas during adverse conditions are always high.

Chamba traffic police highlighted a previous incident in May where six people, including five tourists, died when their SUV plunged into a gorge near Kakira. Sirmaur SP Nishchint Negi stated that vulnerabilities to accidents were evident even before monsoon onset, with issues like insufficient crash-breaker parapets in higher areas and a need for speed barriers.

Road safety experts, including Jaswant Singh from the Indian Road Congress, suggested that with proper precautions, these casualties could be reduced to zero. They attributed many accidents to falling boulders, stone-shooting, poor road conditions, low visibility, adverse climate, and human negligence. Singh proposed discussing the seatbelt rule in hilly areas, as bodies were sometimes found trapped with seatbelts during rollovers.

A total of 189 fatalities were recorded in the entire 2025 monsoon season, with the state having identified 519 accident-prone black spots and 1,643 vulnerable road stretches.