23 victims identified in Himachal tragedy

:Rescue workers, including personnel of Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state police, resumed their search on Monday for more bodies in the debris after a landslide triggered by a cloudburst swept away several vehicles on a busy highway stretch in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.

The search operation to dig out more people feared trapped under the debris in Mandi’s Kotrupi village, which was called off on Sunday around 10pm due to poor light, began at around 8am, they added.

Around 400 personnel, including 200 from the army, 40 from NDRF and the police, home guard and fire brigade, are involved in the search operation. Besides these, local volunteers trained by the district administration to mitigate disaster are also assisting in the operation.

Mandi deputy commissioner Sandeep Kadam said at least 23 of the 46 bodies recovered from the site on Sunday have been identified. The rescuers also pulled out five people alive from the rubble.

“The search will continue until we scan the entire debris,” Kadam added.

However, the teams were not able to recover anybody on Monday. At least 10 more people could be trapped in the debris.

The landslide that took place at around 1.15am on Sunday at Kotrupi village washed away two buses of HRTC and two cars as a 200-metre stretch of the Mandi-Pathankot highway gave way. Five houses were also damaged.

AROUND 400 PERSONNEL, INCLUDING 200 FROM THE ARMY, 40 FROM NDRF AND THE POLICE, HOME GUARD AND FIRE BRIGADE, ARE INVOLVED IN THE SEARCH OPERATION.