The bus was on its way from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Shimla (Twitter/ITBP)Over 40 persons are feared buried under the debris of a major landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said.
Sadiq told PTI 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, he said.
The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur has directed the police and local administration to carry out rescue operations. The NDRF has also been put on alert, he told ANI.
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Last month, nine people — eight tourists and their driver — were killed after a boulder racing down a hill during a landslide smashed into their tempo traveller in Sangla valley of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh.
Among those killed was a 27-year-old naval officer from Darri in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district and his US-based friend; a 34-year-old woman ayurveda doctor from Jaipur; and three members of a family — a young chartered accountant, his sister, and their mother — from Sikar in Rajasthan.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur regarding the landslide incident. He assured the chief minister of all possible help, ANI reported.
Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur has directed the police and local administration to carry out rescue operations and put the NDRF on alert, news agency ANI reported. "We have received information that one bus and a car could have been hit. Awaiting detailed information," he added.
Several vehicles including a bus and cars have been damaged, while many are feared to be buried under debris.
One truck, a HRTC Bus and few vehicles reported came under the rubble following a landslide reported on Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway. Indo-Tibetan Border Police teams rushed for rescue.