2 Dead in Himachal Pradesh landslide, 25-30 missing as vehicles trapped

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

Kinnaur, Aug 11, 2021: Two persons have died and around 30 people are feared buried after a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur left many vehicles trapped under debris this afternoon.

The landslide took place on the Reckong Peo-Shimla Highway in Kinnaur at around 12 pm, said news agency PTI. A truck, a state-run bus and other vehicles were buried after the rockslide.

Reports suggest the bus, travelling to Shimla, had 40 people on board. The local police said 25-30 people were trapped or buried. Ten people have been rescued including the driver, reports say.

A video showed boulders and rocks rolling down the hillside with a roar, blocking the highway.

 

A landslide reported on Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway in #Kinnaur District in Himachal Pradesh today at around 12.45 Hrs. One truck, a HRTC Bus and few vehicles reported came under the rubble. Many people reported trapped. ITBP teams rushed for rescue. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/ThLYsL2cZK

— ITBP (@ITBP_official) August 11, 2021

Teams of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were sent to the area for the rescue. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had also been called in.

"I’ve directed the police and the local administration to carry out rescue operations. NDRF has also been put on alert. We have received information that one bus and a car could have been hit. We are waiting for detailed information," Mr Thakur told reporters.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Mr Thakur and assured him of all possible help, according to the government.

Heavy, incessant rain has caused many landslides in parts of Himachal Pradesh over the past few weeks.

 

PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 11, 2021

Last month, nine tourists were killed after huge boulders fell on their cars in another part of Kinnaur.

A video that was circulated online showed boulders rolling downhill and smashing into a bridge.

Many such videos have emerged from the state this season. In another incident, a stretch of road collapsed as a hillside crashed down in dramatic visuals of a landslide at Sirmaur after two days of incessant rain.