NEW DELHI, Aug 11: At least one person was killed and about 40 others feared buried under the debris of a major landslide that left many vehicles trapped in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district on Wednesday afternoon, official sources said.
The accident took place at Negulseri, about 210 kilometers from state capital Shimla and 60 kilometers from district headquarters Reckong Peo on National Highway 5 at around 12.45 pm. A truck, a state-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus carrying over 40 passengers and other vehicles are believed to have been buried in rubble.
“As of now there’s no confirmation about casualties, but we can’t rule it out. Stones are still falling at the incident site and rescue operation is about to start. Reports are suggesting that there are some other vehicles trapped under the debris apart from the bus, “official sources said.
According to the sub-divisional magistrate, the bus driver has been rescued and according to him around 32 passengers were on board.
The HRTC managing director Sandeep Kumar said the bus was on its way from Moorang to Haridwar. He said there were more than 20 people in the bus.
The local police said 25-30 people were trapped or buried. Six people have been rescued. Teams of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have been sent to the area for rescue operations. 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,” Thakur told reporters.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to 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. Last month, nine people — eight tourists and their driver — were killed after a boulder racing down a hill during a landslide smashed into their vehicle in Sangla valley, also in Kinnaur district. Among those killed was a 27-year-old naval officer from Darri in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district and his US-based friend; a 34-year-old woman ayurveda doctor from Jaipur; and three members of a family — a young chartered accountant, his sister, and their mother — from Sikar in Rajasthan.
(Manas Dasgupta)
