From correspondents in Himachal Pradesh, India, 07:30 PM IST

A drizzle in Shimla and other parts of Himachal Pradesh Saturday brought relief to the people from the sizzling heat, weather officials said.

'Light rain in Shimla and its nearby areas this (Saturday) evening brought much relief from the scorching heat,' director of the meteorological office Manmohan Singh told IANS.

He said throughout the day the maximum temperature hovered at 27.7 degrees Celsius but in the evening, the mercury plummeted sharply.

'In the morning, the maximum temperature fell slightly from Friday's 29 degrees Celsius due to cloud, but in the evening the temperature dipped to 20 degrees,' he said.

He said temperature would continue to fall in the next 24 hours due to cloudy formations and isolated rain.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)