Shimla, Oct 07:
At least 15 people have died after a massive landslide triggered in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district buried a private bus under heavy debris on Tuesday.
Several passengers are feared trapped, and rescue operations are underway.
Speaking to News Agency , Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar confirmed that 15 people have died and three have been rescued alive. There were over 30 people onboard the bus, though the exact figure is not known at this point, the Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner said.
The incident occurred near Ballu Bridge when a large amount of mud and rocks slid down from a hillside and crashed onto a private bus. The impact buried the vehicle under the debris.
A video from the site showed a JCB clearing the debris while several men attempted to rescue the trapped passengers. The video captured the broken off part of the bus, with the wreckage showing the impact of the mud and rocks hitting the bus.
The bus was operating on the Marotan-Kalaul route when the accident took place.
Teams from the police, fire department, and disaster management authority have reached the spot and are working to clear the debris.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed condolences over the tragic accident. The Chief Minister said he is closely monitoring the situation, adding that he remains in constant touch with the district administration.
“Rescue operations are ongoing at a war footing. Instructions have been given to the authorities to deploy their full machinery. I am in touch with the local administration and am continuously receiving moment-by-moment updates on the entire rescue operation,” the Chief Minister wrote on X.
Resuce operations underway in Bilaspur.
Himachal Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who was in Kullu, is on his way to Bilaspur.