Heavy overnight rains pounded Himachal Pradesh, triggering floods and landslides that left three people dead in a house collapse in Mandi and blocked a crucial road in Shimla, officials said on Tuesday.

Three people died and two were rescued at Bragata village of Sundernagar’s Nihri tehsil in Mandi district when debris from an adjoining cliff slid onto a kutcha house around 2.30am, causing it to collapse. According to the officials, five people were inside the house when the landslide struck. While two managed to escape, three were buried in the debris. Rescue operations were carried out jointly by the administration and local residents. “All three bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem,” said Sundernagar sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Amar Negi.

“Rescue teams rushed to the spot and the operation is still underway,” said Mandi superintendent of police Sakshi Verma.

Mandi has been facing continuous rain since Monday night with the bus stand at Dharampur flooded, the police said, adding buses and vehicles were swept away in the strong flow of water. “Dharampur town was the worst affected as the Son Khad suddenly swelled and took a furious form. Around midnight, floodwaters gushed into the bus stand, submerging several state-run buses and sweeping away others along with dozens of private vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and scooters,” the Dharampur DCP said.

There were no casualties though one person was reported missing and the authorities are still verifying the report.

Houses and shops were inundated, forcing residents to climb to rooftops for safety. A hostel housing nearly 150 students was also flooded, but all of them managed to move to the upper floors. Police and rescue teams, led by DSP Sanjeev Sood, carried out the overnight rescue operation.