Toll rises to 13 as a number of nonetheless feared to be trapped in particles; rescue ops underway

Autos buried underneath the particles after a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district. PTI

Three extra our bodies have been recovered from the landslide web site in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district the place the search and rescue operation resumed early on Thursday, elevating the dying toll to 13, officers stated.

Three our bodies have been recovered from the Himachal Highway Transport Company (HRTC) bus, which, together with different autos, was buried underneath the particles, State Catastrophe Administration Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta stated.

The bus was present in a badly broken situation, he added. One other automobile, a Bolero, nonetheless lies buried underneath the rubble.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur instructed ANI. “We nonetheless do not know the entire variety of passengers who have been travelling on the bus. The bus remains to be buried underneath particles. If the climate permits, Military will deploy its chopper for the rescue operation. I plan to go to the landslide web site in Kinnaur as we speak.”

The rescue work, being carried out collectively by the Nationwide Catastrophe Response Power (NDRF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the members of native police and residential guards, resumed at 6 am, Mokhta stated.

The authorities had suspended the operation on Wednesday at round 10 pm.

The HRTC bus, which had been on its method from Reckong Peo to Haridwar through Shimla, was hit by the boulders after a landslide round Wednesday midday close to Chaura village on nationwide highway-5 in Nigulsari space of Nichar tehsil.

Ten our bodies have been recovered on Wednesday, whereas 13 others have been rescued with accidents.

A number of others are nonetheless feared buried underneath the particles.

Eight of the lifeless have been discovered trapped in a Tata Sumo taxi through the search and rescue operation on Wednesday.

With inputs from PTI