Kinnaur landslide: Toll rises to 25, at least four still missing
Rescue teams are yet to trace an SUV and its passengers who are feared buried under the rubble, a disaster management official said.
The toll from a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district rose to 25 after two more bodies were recovered on Monday, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police said.
Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, State Disaster Management Director, told PTI that the two bodies were recovered from the rubble at Chaura village on National Highway 5.
On August 11, a Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus was going from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Shimla, when it was hit by a landslide in Nigulsari village. Some private vehicles, including a truck, a car and Tata Sumo, were also buried under the debris.
#Kinnaur landslide (11 August, 2021) search and rescue operations update.
— ITBP (@ITBP_official) August 16, 2021
2 more dead bodies retrieved today from the debris till now. Total number of dead bodies retrieved from the debris now stands 25. #kinnaurlandslide pic.twitter.com/4N2h5DcY1M
Search and rescue operations are going on and at least four people are still missing, The Indian Express quoted ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey as saying. Rescue teams are yet to trace an SUV and its passengers who are feared buried under the rubble, PTI quoted Mokhta as saying.
Teams of the ITBP, National Disaster Response Force and the local police and home guards are conducting the search and rescue operations.
Till Saturday, a total of 23 bodies were recovered from the site.
Stones tumbling on to the site have hampered rescue efforts. Last week, a team of engineers was tasked with surveying the hilltop and suggesting ways to deal with the challenge.
Due to the danger from the falling stones, the local administration has restricted the movement of all vehicles on the stretch from 9 pm to 9 am, the Hindustan Times reported. Police personnel have been deputed at the site.