One dead, five missing in landslide in Himachal’s Kullu

Shimla: A massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu town on Thursday claimed one life, injured three people and left five others missing, officials said.

Triggered by heavy rains, the landslide buried two houses near the Inner Akhada Bazaar area. Rescue teams from the State Disaster Management Authority, police and district administration were searching for those trapped under the rubble.

Superintendent of Police Kathikeyan Gokulachandran confirmed that one body had been recovered, while three critically injured persons were admitted to the Regional Hospital in Kullu. Senior officials, including Additional Deputy Commissioner Ashwini Kumar and Sub-divisional Magistrate Nishant Kumar, reached the site to supervise the operation.

The incident came less than a day after six people, including four members of a family, were killed when a landslide buried two houses in Sundernagar town of Mandi district. The victims were identified as Gurpreet Singh (35), his wife Bharti (30), their daughter Kirat (3), Shanti Devi (70) and Surender Kaur (56).

In another rain-related mishap on Wednesday, two women died and 15 others were injured when boulders struck a private bus travelling from Rampur to Shimla on National Highway 5. The deceased were identified as Laxmi Virani of Jalgaon, Maharashtra, and a Nepali-origin woman whose identity is yet to be established.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Tuesday reviewed the situation caused by the relentless rains, directing district administrations to step up rescue and relief efforts and restore essential services such as electricity, water supply and road connectivity. He asked officers to visit affected areas personally and assured that funds would not be a constraint in providing timely assistance.