The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has recovered another body from the wreckage of a bus following a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, bringing the death toll to 11. Rescue operations in Kinnaur resumed on Thursday morning after being suspended on Wednesday night due to poor visibility.
After a 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, rescuers pulled the bodies of ten people from the rubble. At least 30 people are said to be missing as a result of the landslide, with 14 people rescued by disaster relief and ITBP personnel as well as local residents. “The site has yielded a total of ten dead bodies. A total of 14 injured people have been rescued. All bodies were transported to Bhavanagar “On Wednesday, the ITBP issued a statement.
The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his condolences for the deaths in the Kinnaur landslide and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for each of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the disaster. “Kinnaur’s landslide tragedy is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with the families of those who have died in this hour of grief. May the injured get better as soon as possible. Rescue operations are underway, and all efforts are being made to assist those who remain trapped “PM Modi also took to Twitter.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and assured him of their full cooperation in the rescue and search operations.
A landslide in a different part of the Kinnaur district killed at least nine people last month.
