Nine tourists were killed after heavy boulders fell on their tempo traveller in a landslide near Basteri in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
Multiple landslides triggered by recent rains occurred near Basteri on the Sangla-Chitkul road at 1.25 p.m., resulting in a bridge collapse and damage to some vehicles, police said. A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows several boulders rolling downhill and smashing into the bridge, causing it to collapse.
According to the police, nine people died and two others were injured after heavy boulders fell on a tempo traveller. The passengers were going to Sangla from Chitkul. In a similar incident, a pedestrian was injured in another landslide in Kinnaur district, they added.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the death of people due to the landslides in Kinnaur.
“Deeply saddened by the news of the death of many people in a landslide in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish the injured people a speedy recovery,” Mr. Kovind tweeted in Hindi.
Mr. Modi said all arrangements are being made for the treatment of those injured and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also expressed grief over the deaths and asked the district administration to ensure immediate relief and rescue operations.
