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Himachal: Bilaspur landslide toll rises to 16, rescuers push through buried bus debris
The two siblings, who survived the accident, Arushi, 10, and her brother, Shaurya 8, were sitting on the last seat of the bus; discharged after first aid from AIIMS, Bilaspur.
The death toll in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district, where a private bus was buried under the debris of a landslide on Tuesday evening, rose to 16 with the recovery of a boy’s body on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Search and rescue operations to trace people buried under the debris continued on Wednesday after a huge portion of a mountain gave way and fell on the moving bus in the Bhalughat area near Berthin in Jhandutta tehsil at 6.40pm on Tuesday.
Bilaspur SP Sandeep Dhawal said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) worked through the night and recovered 15 bodies from the debris, while the body of the child was found this morning. A manual search is underway with dog squads being pressed into service to search the victims along with machinery to remove the heavy rocks. “Rescue work was halted around 2.30am due to rain and landslides. It resumed around 6.30am this morning,” he said.
According to eye-witnesses, the bus was plying on the Marotan-Ghumarwin route when it was hit by boulders that broke through the roof and dragged it down the hill with the impact. The eyewitnesses said it had been raining in the area since Tuesday morning.
The two siblings who survived the accident, Arushi, 10, and her brother, Shaurya, 8, were sitting on the last seat of the bus.
Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who visited the accident spot at 1am on Wednesday, said, “Both children sustained minor injuries and were treated at AIIMS, Bilaspur. They were discharged at 4.30am on Wednesday and their father has taken them home.”
“My wife and two children, and my brother’s wife and their two children, were returning home from a function when the tragedy struck. Only my children are alive now,” Raj Kumar, the father of Arushi and Shaurya, said.
Agnihotri, who met the next of kin of the deceased at Berthin hospital, said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident. An immediate relief of ₹25,000 each has been provided to the next of kin.
“Himachal a hilly state with young mountains, where construction of big roads, bridges and tunnels is taking place. So, there is a need to review whether the present development model is sustainable,” he said.
The post-mortem of all 16 victims was carried out at the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Barthin. Additional doctors were deputed by the Bilaspur chief medical officer.
The deceased have been identified as Naksh, Aarav, Sanjeev, Vimla, Kamlesh, Kanta Devi, Anjana, Bakshi Ram, Narender Sharma, Krishan Lal, Chuni Lal, Rajnish, Sonu, Sharif Khan and Praveen Kumar, they said, adding that the body of the child found on Wednesday morning is yet to be identified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 each to the injured.
Since the exact number of occupants of the bus is yet to be ascertained, deputy commissioner Rahul Kumar has appealed to residents to report missing persons or relatives on the helpline number +91 98168 33137. Additionally, information can be provided on the District Disaster Management Authority’s numbers 01978-224901 and 94594-57061.
