2 killed, 40 feared buried after landslide in India’s Himachal Pradesh

Two people were killed and over 40 were feared buried under the debris after a landslide trapped a bus and other vehicles in Kinnaur district of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh today, officials said.

State Emergency Operation Centre said two people died and 10 people, including the bus driver and conductor, were pulled out of the rubble in injured condition during the initial hours of the rescue operation.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told the state assembly that there are reports that 50-60 people are trapped under the debris, but the exact number was not known, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

He said the landslide occurred when there was no rainfall in the area.

The bus was on its way from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Shimla, said Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq.

The army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local rescue teams were conduction the rescue operation, the Kinnaur deputy commissioner said.

Sadiq also said shooting boulders and stones are still falling, which is creating problems in carrying out the rescue operations.