More landslides block roads in Lahaul, rockfall crushes car

SHIMLA/MANALI: Two days after nine people were killed in a landslide in Kinnaur, more landslides blocked major roads in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. A landslide occurred barely a few meters away from the location of the incident on Tuesday. In Kangra district, a car driver was injured after boulders fell on the vehicle in Kangra district.
The rockfall occured near Nayajpur, located between Nurpur and Jassur on the Pathankot-Mandi highway in Kangra district. The driver, who was trapped between the heavy rocks, was rescued after breaking the roof of the car and was referred to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda in Kangra.
Sources said cracks had developed in the rocks on the mountain above and the debris hurtled down the road. During this time, the passing car was was hit by a boulder and then got stuck in the middle of the rocks. Teams of the police and district administration reached the spot and started relief work.
With the help of locals, the driver was pulled out by breaking the roof of the vehicle.
Sources said a landslide had occurred a few meters away from the location of the incident on Tuesday. But no accident was reported at that time due to less traffic in the night. The road was restored to traffic after one and a half hours.
In another incident, a two-storeyed building collapsed near Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Hospital in Shimla on Monday night. On the way from IGMC towards Shimla, the Kalyan Bhawan built right in front of the Manchanda Drugstore collapsed. The building had been declared unsafe by the municipal corporation many years ago. Only one person lived in the building and he had left the house before the incident.
Landslides and floods on Tuesday also blocked major roads in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, while police had to evacuate the people who live close to various rivers.
Manali-Leh, Keylong-Udaipur, and Darcha-Shinkula were the major affected highways. A flash flood near Chhota Dara in Spiti blocked the Gramphu-Kaza road. Most nullahs are in spate. Traffic on the Manali-Leh NH-03 was suspended for 12 hours. Tourists were moved to safe places and those trying to enter Lahaul were turned back. Boulders rolled down on the highways after Bhaga, a major tributary of the Chenab river, rose up to riverside shops at Darcha village on the Manali-Leh road.
The affeced sites are Kirting, Kamring, Kukumseri, Saksh nullah. Darcha-Shinkula road is also closed. A major bridge on the Keylong-Udaipur-Kishtwar state highway at Jahlma village of Lahaul was washed away. A few villagers will be stuck till Wednesday. The Chandigarh highway was blocked for an hour after rockfall near Hanogi in Mandi district. Landslide at Jhatigri in Mandi shut the Pathankot highway.