Rescue and relief work at the Kinnaur landslide spot resumed on Thursday at 6 am, and 13 bodies have so far been recovered from the debris, while the state transport bus and Bolero car have not been identified along with their passengers. The ITBP said in an update on Thursday morning that rescue efforts have resumed at the landslide site in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. The number of dead bodies recovered has risen to 13 following the recovery of two more bodies this morning.
Under the debris, however, the Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus, a Bolero car and their passengers were not found. Dharmender Thakur, Deputy Commandant of ITBP, said, ‘We have located the remains of the bus and a body has been recovered’. The rescue operation is being conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and local police and home guards. At 10 pm on Wednesday, the authorities suspended the operation.
The bus was on its way from Reckong Peo to Haridwar via Shimla when it was hit by boulders in a landslide at Kinnaur. Near Nigulsari, according to Nichar tehsil, a landslide happened around noon in Chaura village on national highway 5. Around 40-50 people are feared trapped in the rubble of the vehicle and bus that were caught in the landslide. Several vehicles skidded off the road and fell into the river below, according to locals.
Since the HRTC bus and the Bolero and its passengers were not found under the debris until Thursday morning, the death toll may increase. Both vehicles might have rolled down with debris, officials have said. During the search and rescue operation on Wednesday itself, eight of the dead were found trapped in a Tata Sumo taxi. Due to flying stones and rubble, the truck rolled down to the riverside, and the body of the driver was recovered on Wednesday. On Wednesday, a fully damaged Alto was recovered, but no one was found inside.
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