One killed, 5 missing in landslide in Himachal’s Kullu

Shimla, Sep 4 One person was killed, three injured were rescued from the rubble, and rescue operations are ongoing to locate five missing people after a massive landslide on Thursday in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu town.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, buried two houses, police said.

Rescue teams, including personnel from the State Disaster Management Authority, the police and the district administration, were carrying out an operation to locate five people believed to be trapped under the rubble and mudslide.

The disaster occurred near the Inner Akhada Bazaar area. Superintendent of Police Kathikeyan Gokulachandran said one body was recovered from the spot, while three critically injured people were admitted to the Regional Hospital in Kullu.

Senior officials, including Additional Deputy Commissioner Ashwini Kumar and Sub-divisional Magistrate Nishant Kumar, reached the spot to oversee rescue efforts.

The disaster occurred in less than 24 hours after six people, comprising four of a family, were killed after a landslide buried two houses in Sundernagar town in Mandi district. The deceased were identified as Gurpreet Singh (35), his daughter Kirat (three), his wife Bharti (30), Shanti Devi (70), and Surender Kaur (56).

In another incident on Wednesday, two women were killed and 15 were injured after boulders fell on a private bus that was on its way to Shimla from Rampur on National Highway 5. The deceased were identified as Laxmi Virani, hailing from the village Jalgaon in Maharashtra and a Nepali-origin female who is yet to be identified.

A day earlier, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu reviewed the situation arising due to the torrential rains and directed the district administrations to intensify rescue and relief operations on a war footing, while ensuring early restoration of essential services such as electricity, water supply, and road connectivity.

He also took a detailed stock of the damages reported from different districts and instructed officers to personally visit the affected areas to extend all possible help to people in distress. “There is no dearth of funds, and the administration must ensure timely action,” he was quoted as saying.

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