Munish Sood
KULLU:
The spell of devastation unleashed by relentless rains in Himachal Pradesh shows no sign of abating. On Thursday, another massive landslide struck the Inner Akhara Bazaar area near Kullu town, causing widespread damage and triggering panic among residents.
According to reports, three houses were crushed under debris when a hillside collapsed during continuous rainfall. Around 10 persons were caught in the landslide. Rescue teams and locals managed to pull out four injured persons, who have been shifted to hospital for treatment. However, authorities fear that five to six people are still trapped under the rubble.
Rescue operations are underway with teams from the district administration, police, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed on site. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Torul S Raveesh and Superintendent of Police Karthikeyan Gokulachandran also reached the spot to supervise the efforts.
This incident comes just days after a landslide struck the same Inner Akhara Bazaar locality on Tuesday night. In that tragedy, an NDRF jawan and a Kashmiri labourer were buried under debris, but could not be retrieved even after 36 hours of search operations due to continuous falling rocks and unstable terrain.
The repeated landslides have left the residents of Kullu district shaken, with fears mounting as heavy rains continue to lash the region. The authorities have urged caution, but the threat of further landslides looms large.
Deputy Commissioner Torul S Raveesh, while speaking to the media, said that as soon as the information about the incident was received, teams of NDRF, ITBP and the local police rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.
She informed that four persons were initially pulled out from the debris. Of them, two were found safe, one was critically injured and referred to AIIMS, Bilaspur.
The Deputy Commissioner said that nearly six more persons are feared to be trapped under the rubble. Multiple rescue teams have been deployed at two different sites and efforts are underway to trace them.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed deep grief over the tragedy, stating that the untimely loss of life is heart-breaking. He assured that the government stands firmly with the affected families in this hour of sorrow and that all possible assistance will be provided to them.
Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has also conveyed his condolences, calling the incident extremely tragic. He prayed for peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved families, while urging the authorities to ensure prompt relief and rescue efforts.
