Seven killed in landslide in Himachal Pradesh

Death toll is expected to rise, said officials

At least seven persons were killed and many were injured or declared missing after a landslide hit the Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib in the Parvati valley of Kullu District at about 1.45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Officials were quoted by local media, as saying that they expect the death toll to rise.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh also confirmed the death of seven people in a landslide near Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib and announced a compensation for the families of the dead victims.

Chief Minister Singh told ANI, "Seven people are reported to be dead due to the falling of rocks on Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib."

"We are trying to remove the debris to find out if any other people are trapped there," he added.

However, he refused to give out the exact death toll figure, saying rescue operations are still on.

 

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar was quoted by the media, as saying that a disaster management team has been deployed in the area for rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

Kullu Additional Deputy Magistrate Vinay Singh Thakur is supervising the rescue and retrieval effort.

The bodies of the dead and the injured have been ferried to Kullu in local taxis.

Thakur has confirmed that all seven bodies have been recovered so far.