Kinnaur landslide: Death toll rises to 13, rescue operations on

Rescuers on Wednesday pulled out the bodies of 10 people after the landslide buried at least five vehicles, including two buses, on a road near Nigulsari village on the national highway.

Rescuers recovered two more bodies from the wreckage of a bus following a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, which have now taken the death toll to 13, news agency ANI reported on Thursday. Rescue operations resumed on Thursday morning in Kinnaur after being called off on Wednesday night over lack of visibility. "We have located the remnants of the bus and a body has been recovered," Dharmender Thakur, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) deputy commandant, was quoted as saying by ANI.

Rescue operations resumed on Thursday morning after being called off on Wednesday night over lack of visibility. (PTI Photo)

Rescuers pulled out the bodies of 10 people after the landslide buried at least five vehicles, including two buses, on a road near Nigulsari village on the national highway connecting Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla to Rechong Peo on Wednesday afternoon. At least 30 people are said to be missing after the landslide and 14 were rescued by disaster relief and ITBP personnel and local residents after the landslide. "Total 10 dead bodies have been retrieved from the spot. 14 injured have been rescued. All bodies sent to Bhavanagar," ITBP said in a statement on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in the landslide in Kinnaur and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the next of kin of those who were killed and ₹50,000 for those injured in the tragedy, the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. "The landslide tragedy at Kinnaur is very saddening. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway and everything possible is being done to assist those still trapped," PM Modi also tweeted.

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President Ram Nath Kovind also expressed his anguish at the deaths in the landslide. "It is sad to hear that many people have died and others are in danger due to landslide in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. I express my condolences to the bereaved families and pray for full success in the relief and rescue work," he said.

PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur and assured him of all possible help in the rescue and search operations.

Last month, at least nine people were killed by a landslide in a different part of the Kinnaur district.