Ten people were killed, 13 rescued and several others feared trapped under debris after a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district on Wednesday. A bus carrying several passengers onboard and other vehicles are feared trapped under the rubble, officials said.
The landslide caused stones to roll down the mountains into the river below, creating small splashes of water. Warming whistles were heard and then a big chunk of the mountain collapsed on National Highway 5 and into the river. Fighting to complete the operation before nightfall, rescue workers struggled to pull out survivors and bodies from the debris near Chaura village in Nigulsari area of Nichar tehsil. Hours after the landslide a little before noon, Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said 10 bodies had been pulled out, but there are others feared trapped.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the loss of lives in the landslide and also spoke to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, assuring him of all help in the rescue operations. PM Modi also announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for those who lost their lives, and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
Eight of the dead were found trapped in a Tata Sumo taxi, according to state Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta. A Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, which was on its way from Reckong Peo to Haridwar via Shimla, was still buried under the debris, Mokhta said.
Early reports said there could be up to 40 people in the government bus, but it was later found that the number was far less. Earlier, the Bhawanagar station house officer (SHO) said around 25 to 30 were trapped under the debris.
When the initial reports came, Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur told the state Assembly that 50-60 people were feared trapped under the debris but the exact number was not known. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah has talked to him and the topmost priority as of now is to rescue those trapped and provide them the best possible treatment.
Shah spoke to Thakur to take stock of the situation and directed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to provide all assistance to the state government in rescue and relief operations. Thakur told the Assembly that a helicopter is also being arranged for the rescue operation. The chief minister said the landslide occurred when there was no rainfall.
2-year-old among the deceased
Among the dead are a two-year-old girl and five women, a state official spokesperson said. Two of the dead were identified as Rohit Kumar (25), a resident of Kaiya village at Rampur in Shimla; and Vijay Kumar (32) of Jhol village in Sujanpur of Hamirpur district, Mokhta said.
The eight dead found in the Tata Sumo have been identified as two-year-old girl, Vanshuka of Sapni in Sangla tehsil of Kinnaur; Meera Devi, Nitisha, Prem kumari (42), Gyan Dassi, Devi Chand (53), all from Kinnaur district; and Kammlesh Kumar (34) of Rechuta village in Solan. One dead person is yet to be identified, Mokhta added.
The injured have been shifted to a Bhawanagar community health centre (CHC) for treatment, officials added. The state Disaster Management Authority has requisitioned the NDRF from Nurpur for the search and rescue operation, Mokhta said.
District officials, search and rescue teams including members of local police, home guards, NDRF, ITBP and a medical team are at the incident site, he said. Ten ambulances, four earth removers, 52 personnel of the ITBP’s 17th Battalion, 30 personnel of police and 27 NDRF personnel are carrying out the rescue operation, he added.
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