At least 46 people have died in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh after two buses were swept away by a massive landslide.
Heavy monsoon rains triggered the landslide near Kotropi village in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district. The landslide pushed tonnes of debris and rocks onto a stretch of the Mandi-Pathankot national highway early on Sunday 13 August, 2017.
Two buses with around 55 passengers on board were swept away. Officials said that 46 bodies had been recovered while five injured had been admitted to a hospital in Mandi town. Some nearby houses were also buried, according to local media.
Visiting the scene of the landslide, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, said that families of the deceased will receive payments and that rescue operations would continue until the last body is found.
Teams from NDRF and Indian Army have been called in to carry out search and rescue operations.
Social Media
Massive landslides took at Padhar,NH Mandi-Pathankot.200 metres National Highway got washed away.50 feared buried. #HADR #IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/5jka4evsVB
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 13, 2017
