HP landslide: 2 mor bodies recovered, death toll reaches 2

Two more bodies were recovered from the site of a landslide in Negulsari in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district on Monday, taking the death toll to 25 on the sixth day of search and rescue operations, officials said.

State disaster management director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said two unidentified bodies were retrieved from the debris about 500 metres below the road on which the landslide took place.

bodies are being brought to National Highway 5. Seven people are still missing, he added. An SUV and its passengers could not be traced so far. The vehicle might have rolled down with the rubble, Mokhta said.

Most bodies were found in the wreckage of a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, which had slid down National Highway 5 after being hit by big boulders during the landslide. The bus, carrying around 22 passengers was en route to Haridwar from Reckong Peo, when the mishap took place on August 11. A few other private vehicles, including a truck, a car and a Tata Sumo were also buried under the debris, and have now been recovered.

Kinnaur superintenden police Sarju Ram Rana s “The wreckage of the HRTC was found 70 metres down National Highway 5. It was rying around 22 passen when it got buried.”

The rescue operation is b carried out jointly by National Disaster Respo Force (NDRF), Indo-tib Border Police (ITBP) and m bers of the local police home guards.

Meanwhile, keeping in v the continuous rockfall, administration has restri the movement of all typ vehicles on the stretch f 9pm to 9am for the safety o public. The decision was ta after two people were inj when rolling stones hit HRTC bus on its way f Mandi to Reckong Peo.

Police have been depute the site.

Joint teams from C NDRF, SASE and district ad istration visited another l slide site close to Jasrat vil in tribal Lahaul and Spiti, w obstructed the flow of C drabhaga tributary of Che river, to asses the situat Water from the lake that for after the landslide is now f ing through a channel for naturally. The teams are st ing ways to clear the lands at Nalda.