Three killed as road caves in after landslide in Himachal’s Rampur Bushahr

Heavy rainfall-induced landslides in Himachal Pradesh have claimed three lives, as a car plunged into a gorge due to a road cave-in. Rescue operations were carried out by police, fire department, and locals. In a separate incident, 55 people were rescued from Kangra villages as the water level in the Beas river rose.

Heavy rainfall-induced landslides continue to wreak havoc in the state, with three people on Tuesday losing their lives in a road cave-in. The car that they were travelling in plunged into a deep gorge at Pandadhar in Rampur Bushahr, when a 25-m stretch of road gave in to a landslide.

The road cave-in caused by a landslide at Pandadhar in Rampur Bushahr, Himachal. (HT Photo)

The deceased have been identified as Veer Singh, 40, Himmat Singh, 28, and Ratan, 50, all residents of Nankhari.

Their car fell into the river near Sharan Dhank, a neighbourhood in the tehsil. The stretch on the Neerath-Nankhari-Panda Adhar link road sank, pulling the car down with it into the stream.

Eyewitnesses informed the police of the incident, following which rescue operations were carried out by the police, fire department and locals and three bodies were recovered, police officials said.

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed grief over the incident.

Meanwhile, a major patch of forest areas was damaged when slurry from a nullah flowed down the Beas river, also raising its level in Seobagh.

NDRF and police teams rescuing residents from Miani in Kangra district (HT Photo)

55 rescued from Kangra villages as Beas swells

Dharamshala In an overnight operation, emergency teams comprising National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Himachal Pradesh police rescued 55 people who were stranded after the water level in Beas increased in view of the release of water from Pong Dam in Kangra district on Tuesday.

Sharing details, Kangra deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal said the district authorities received the information about people being at Ghandara and Miani villages in Indora subdivision around 9 pm.

A rescue operation was launched under the leadership of SDM Surender Thakru and deputy superintendent of police Vishal Verma, while the NDRF control room at Nurpur was also informed.

The NDRF team joined the rescue operation at 10.30pm which lasted for more than eight hours.

The operation ended at 5 am in the morning, Jindal, who is also chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), said, adding that Indora legislator Malender Rajan also remained presentat the spot.

“People living downstream of Pong Dam should avoid venturing near the river,” he added.