14 Killed In India Landslide As Boulders Hit Rescue Efforts

Himachal CM visits the site of landslide, offers compensation to victims’ kin; wreckage of bus found; highway still closed to traffic

Falling rocks forced rescuers to suspend their search on Thursday for victims of a large landslide that swept across a highway in the mountains of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh, a day earlier, killing at least 14 people.

The rescuers pulled back after loose rocks began falling at the site, said district administrator Abid Hussain Sadiq.

With darkness falling, the search for 25 to 30 people believed still missing was unlikely to resume until Friday.

Rescuers recovered 10 bodies on Wednesday and four on Thursday and located a bus crushed by the avalanche, Sadiq said.

The exact number of the people who were on the bus was not known.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday visited the location for an overview of the ongoing rescue operation.

The wreckage of the state roadways bus that fell into a 500m deep gorge following the massive landslide was recovered this morning, rescuers said.

“As per our estimates, nearly 16 people are still missing and the rescue operation is underway,” Thakur told the media in Shimla after returning.