NEW DELHI, Mar 30: At least six people have been killed in a freak tragic incident when a storm uprooted a tree that fell on vehicles and food stalls in Kullu valley in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday evening. A relief and rescue operation is still on.
Eyewitnesses reported that a tree near the road in front of Manikaran Gurdwara was brought down by a storm that triggered a landslide. Debris from a hill caused the tree to collapse, trapping bystanders near the gurdwara.
A roadside hawker, a Sumo driver, and three tourists were among those killed in the incident. Videos showed vehicles parked near food stalls adjacent to the mountain.
Ashwini Kumar, ADM Kullu, said six people were killed and five were injured after trees were uprooted near the Gurudwara parking in Kullu. Police and rescue teams of the district administration have shifted five injured to the local community hospital at Jari.
In a video, a man was seen assisting a woman with blood stains on her shirt. Notably, Manikaran is at an altitude of 1,829 meters and roughly 40 km from Kullu. Earlier this week, the weather department issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in four districts of Himachal Pradesh. The Meteorological Department had warned of thunderstorms with lightning and winds (40-50 kmph) in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi on Thursday.
(Manas Dasgupta)
