Rescue teams reached the accident spot and four bodies have been recovered so far.
Over 50 passengers are feared dead after two Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation buses were swept away by a landslide in Mandi district. The incident happened a little after midnight on the National Highway connecting Manali and Mandi. One bus was reportedly carrying around 47 passengers from Chamba to Mandi and the second bus, travelling from Katra to Manali, had 8 to 10 passengers in it.
Sandeep Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, told news agency ANI: “Three vehicles were stranded after the landslide. A bus had also rolled down to nearly 800 m from the National Highway and four people have been rescued from the debris.”
Kadam added that rainfall in the region is causing troubles in the rescue operation. “The rain has hampered the rescue operations which is making it tough for the police and home guard,” he said.
Meanwhile, state transport minister G S Bali put the death toll at 50 and said rescue operations began on war footing. “Rescue operations have been continuing since 2 am and I am in constant touch with the district authorities and other related officials. Owing to the seriousness of the issue, Army has been called,” he said in a Facebook post.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh left from Shimla by road as bad weather did not permit him to take the aerial route to Mandi. He will visit the accident site and review the situation.
More details are awaited
