Landslide on Shimla highway buries eight vehicles; no casualties reported, say police

Eight vehicles were buried while three houses and a temple were damaged in a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains near Dhalli area in the suburbs of Shimla, officials said. No loss of life was reported in the incident, they said adding that fifteen families were shifted to safer places as several houses on a hill top were endangered. However, there were no reports of any casualty.

No loss of life was reported in the incident, they said adding that fifteen families were shifted to safer places as several houses on a hill top were endangered. “A portion of the cliff opposite the temple near Bhattakufer caved in. Boulders rolled down and smashed six-seven vehicles parked along the highway,” a police official told IANS. Deputy superintendent of police Rajinder Singh told reporters that three persons were rescued from the spot.

Due to the landslide, the Dhalli-Shoghi road was blocked and hundreds of trucks loaded with apples and headed to the Bhattakufar Subzi Mandi, three kilometres from the spot, were stranded. Police have diverted traffic via Sanjauli, on Shimla’s outskirts. [caption id=“attachment_4002331” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The landslide led to roads being blocked. PTI[/caption] Videos of the incident, which showed a heap of rubble falling on the road, brushing away some vehicles while trapping others under the debris, went viral. Heavy machinery has been deployed to remove the debris and clear the road, Shimla deputy commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur said adding that there was no loss of life. Heavy rains triggered landslides in some interior areas, but there was no major disruption and most roads functioned. Meanwhile heavy rains occurred at some places of Himachal Pradesh. Paonta Sahib and Nahan received 137 mm and 127 mm rain respectively, followed by Naina Devi 118 mm, Jhandutta 85 mm, Kheri 58 mm, Mehre 51 mm, Berthin 49 mm, Kahu 39 mm, Pachhad 38 mm, Solan 37 mm, Dalhousie and Shimla 33 mm each, Jubbar Hatti and Una 24 mm each, Kufri and Ghumarwin had 20 mm of rain. The local MeT office has predicted a wet spell in the region for next six days. There was no significant change in maximum temperatures, but minimum temperatures dropped marginally. Manali was coldest in the region with a minimum of 11 degrees Celsius, followed by Keylong 11.3 degrees, Kalpa 11.8 degrees, Shimla 15.1 degrees, Mandi 16.4 degrees, Dharamshala and Nahan 16.8 degrees, Palampur 18 degrees, Bhuntar 18.4 degrees, Solan 19 degrees, Kangra 20.4 degrees, Sundernagar 21.1 degrees and Una 22.2 degree Celsius. With inputs from agencies