Himachal landslide: Death toll climbs to 25

Shimla: Two more bodies were recovered on Monday from the site of the landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, taking the death toll to 25, a senior official said.

Search and rescue operations for those missing in the landslide that occurred on Wednesday last are underway.
State Disaster Management Director, Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, said as per information provided by Bhawanagar SHO, two bodies had been retrieved from the rubble at Chaura village on National Highway 5 in Nichar tehsil on Monday. He said search and rescue operations, which had been suspended on Sunday night, resumed again on Monday morning.

An SUV and its passengers feared buried under the rubble could not be traced so far, he said, adding that it might be possible that the vehicle rolled down with the debris.

The rescue operation is being carried out jointly by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and members of local police and home guards.

On the day of the incident, 10 bodies were recovered and 13 people were rescued.

Earlier on Wednesday, eight bodies were found in a taxi during the search and rescue operation. Two cars had also been recovered in a damaged condition on Wednesday, but no one was found in them.

On Thursday, four bodies were found from the landslide site, while three were taken out on Friday.

Subsequently, six bodies were retrieved from the rubble on Saturday. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had informed the state assembly after visiting the spot on Thursday that 16 people were still missing.

After that, 11 bodies have been recovered so far. At least five people are still missing, officials said.

An HRTC bus, which along with other vehicles, was buried under the debris, was found in a badly damaged condition on Thursday.

A truck was also found, which had rolled down towards a riverside due to stones falling down a mountainside, and the driver’s body was recovered.