Munish Sood
MANDI: Seven persons, including four members of a Sikh family, lost their lives when a massive landslide struck Jamang Bagh in Sundernagar subdivision of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) night.
Rescue teams battled through the night and confirmed the recovery of all bodies by Wednesday morning after a 16-hour-long operation.
The victims include bus driver Gurpreet Singh, popularly known as Sonu, his wife Bharti (28), their three-year-old daughter Kirit, and his mother Surinder Kaur. The landslide buried their home.
Other casualties were identified as Prakash Sharma of Dadhyal, who was crushed along with his scooter, and Rahul Mandyal from Khatarwadi village, who was found inside a Tata Sumo trapped beneath the rubble. A local elderly resident also lost her life in the collapse.
Eyewitnesses said the first bodies pulled from the debris were of a mother and child, followed by other family members late into the night. The final victim was recovered on Wednesday morning. All bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.
Rescue operation amid chaos
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and the local administration worked overnight, using heavy machinery and cutting through rooftops to retrieve those trapped.
Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan and Superintendent of Police Sakshi Verma supervised the operation on the site, while Sundernagar MLA Rakesh Jamwal expressed deep sorrow over the incident and assured government assistance to the bereaved families.
While officials described the incident as a natural disaster, locals strongly blamed ongoing construction work for triggering the landslide. Residents alleged that slope cutting and pipe-laying work had been carried out recklessly near the houses, despite the heavy rains.
“This accident could have been avoided. The department should have waited until after the monsoon to start the work. The cutting destabilised the hillside and caused the collapse,” said Sanjay and Sunil, two residents who demanded strict action against those responsible.
Homes reduced to rubble within seconds
The landslide completely flattened the houses of Surinder Kaur and Shanti Devi, while a neighbouring house belonging to Kuldeep now stands dangerously unstable. Families have not only lost their loved ones but also their homes and belongings, leaving them devastated and homeless overnight.
The incident once again underscores the fragile ecology of Himachal Pradesh, which has witnessed a surge in landslides, flashfloods and slope collapses during this monsoon season. Experts have repeatedly warned that unplanned construction and indiscriminate slope cutting are amplifying the risks in the state’s already vulnerable hilly terrain.
As grieving families await relief and rehabilitation, public anger is mounting against administrative negligence. Calls are growing for accountability, safer construction practices, and stricter disaster preparedness in the region.
