Himachal Pradesh Landslide: 15 Dead as Bus Crushed by Debris; Rescue Teams Continue Search for Missing

 

At least 15 people lost their lives after a massive landslide struck a passenger bus in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district, officials confirmed. The tragic incident occurred late Thursday night on a hilly stretch following days of relentless rainfall in the region.

 

According to local police, the bus was carrying around 20 to 25 passengers when heavy debris tumbled down the slope, burying the vehicle under mud and rocks. Among the victims were nine men, four women, and two children. Three children were pulled out alive and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities said.

 

Rescue and relief efforts are still underway as teams continue to search for missing passengers feared trapped under the debris. State Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s office reported that emergency workers have been using heavy machinery to clear the area, while paramedics and disaster response teams remain stationed at the site.

 

Visuals from the scene, shared by news agency ANI, showed the bus completely crushed along the mountainside as rescue workers dug through the mud and broken metal. Other footage revealed heaps of soil being removed with excavators and personnel recovering passengers’ belongings drenched in sludge.

 

The region has been facing continuous rainfall since Monday, leaving the mountain slopes dangerously unstable. Both President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed condolences to the families affected by the disaster.

 

This tragedy comes amid a series of extreme weather events across South Asia this year. Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in several countries, including India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. In August, flash floods swept away an entire village in Uttarakhand, while more than 40 people were killed in Nepal over the weekend due to rain-induced mudslides and flooding.