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'Waited over an hour for shooting stones to stop': What happened in Himachal's Kinnaur
The 30-seater bus was moving from Murang to Haridwar and has not been traced so far. It might have fallen into the Sutlej river.
Himachal Pradesh landside toll rose to 10 on Wednesday evening as rescue operation is going on. The figure could go up, while over 50 are feared trapped, officials said. Around 14 people have been rescued after seven hours of rescue work, which got delayed because of the weather. A 30-seater Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus, a truck and four cars came under the rubble of the landslide which took place around noon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah talked to Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur and assured all possible help from the Centre.
Where did the landslide take place?
The landslide took place at the Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway near Nugulsari in Kinnaur. The bus was moving from Murang to Haridwar and has not been traced so far. It might have fallen into the Sutlej river.
Took an hour for boulders to stop
The landslide took place around noon and the ITBP got a call at 12.15pm. But the rescue team could not start operation for the next one hour as they had to wait for the rolling boulders to stop, ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey told ANI.
Recent landslides in Himachal Pradesh
Early this month, a landslide hit Himachal Pradesh's Solan district killing 1 22-year-old man and injuring two others. Before that, another landslide was reported in Sirmaur of Himachal Pradesh in which an entire road caved in. In July, Himachal Pradesh's Kangra witnessed a massive flash flood after a cloudburst. According to experts, both Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur are vulnerable as they are situated in the Himalayan ranges, while this landslide has been caused by heavy rainfall continuing for the past few days. Chamba, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Una are prone to flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts.
