Mandi- A landslide occurred twice in Inner Akhara Bazaar in Kullu district on Wednesday and Thursday, trapping a total of 11 people. Seven of them were still missing as of Friday morning. The landslide, which occurred on Thursday morning due to incessant rains, destroyed parts of Inner Akhara Bazaar. At least nine people were buried under the mud and debris.
After initial efforts during the incident, one body was recovered and three injured were rescued. A day earlier, a similar incident had taken place on Wednesday morning, due to which two people were buried under the debris.
Despite round-the-clock efforts by rescue teams, no trace of the two victims has been found so far. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, District Disaster Management Authority, local police and district administration have been deployed at the spot and are continuing rescue operations.
Search operations were temporarily suspended overnight due to security reasons, but resumed early this morning.
“Rescue operations are on, but progress is slow due to bad weather and unstable ground,” a senior police officer said. The narrow lanes and dense construction of Inner Akhara Bazaar have made rescue operations difficult. Both the incidents have created panic among the people. Eyewitnesses said houses collapsed and debris engulfed everything in its path. Especially in such a dense area where there is very little space for emergency evacuation, the suddenness of the disaster completely surprised the residents.