8 buildings collapse in Himachal

At least eight vacant buildings crumbled under a landslide that took down a hillside in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Thursday, offering yet more evidence that the devastating effects of the climate crisis, torrential spells of rain and the geologically active Himalayan region were combining to wreak havoc in the region.

- Gaurav Bisht

The buildings Kullu's Anni town were vacant because they had developed cracks and were declared unsafe last week. As a result, when they collapsed on Thursday, there were no deaths, though at least 238 people have died in climate-related tragedies since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh this year.

"These buildings were already in vulnerable condition following the heavy rainfall on August 15... were no casualties... I have been told that three to four more buildings are in vulnerable condition...." Kullu additional district magistrate Ashwini Kumar told news agency ANI.

Anni sub-divisional magistrate Naresh Verma said around seven to eight buildings housing residential units, shops, banks and other commercial establishments developed cracks four to five days ago. The buildings were declared unsafe and vacated recently, he added. Verma also said that an assessment of the damages was being done and some other unsafe buildings-along National Highway 305 in Anni - were also evacuated as a precautionary measure.Visuals showed massive mounds of earth and debris crashing into the ground from the hillside, taking down with them several buildings.