Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur landslide disaster on Wednesday claimed 10 lives and injured 13. Nearly 30 people are feared buried under the debris.
Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur has directed the police and local administration to carry out rescue operations and put the NDRF on alert. In a statement he said –
We have received information that one bus and a car could have been hit. Awaiting detailed information,
Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said –
The Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local rescue teams have been called in for the rescue work,
He also told the reporters that
that several vehicles, including a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus carrying over 40 passengers, are buried under the debris. The bus was on its way from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Shimla,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah called upon Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and assured all possible help from the Centre.
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal through his official Twitter account of the CMO quoted –
My heart goes out to the families affected by the landslide in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Praying for everyone’s safety and successful rescue of those trapped at the site,
So far, 10 dead bodies have been recovered, while 13 people are injured due to the Kinnaur landslide. However, still, the rescue operations are underway and the death toll may rise. Shooting rocks are hindering the operation.
Nearly 300 jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are in the rescue operations. Personnel of ITBP Units (43rd Battalion, 17th Battalion, and 19th Battalion) at the landslide site on Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway near Nugulsari of the Kinnaur district.
Kinnaur region’s Sangla, Chitkul, and Kalpa of Himachal Pradesh are the most Ecologically fragile regions in the state. Kinnaur landslide was reported on Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway
Last month 9 people including 8 tourists were killed during a landslide in the Sangla valley of the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.