The death toll from the devastating landslide in Sundernagar town of Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district has climbed to six after three more bodies were recovered from the debris, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The landslide, which struck around 6 pm on Tuesday, buried two houses under massive debris. Rescue teams comprising the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been working round the clock to retrieve those trapped.
Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, Apoorv Devgan, said, “In one house, there were four people. Two — a woman and a child — were rescued but succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Another body was recovered from the second house. We are still searching for two missing persons from the first house and one more who was in a car at the time of the incident.”
Local MLA Rakesh Jamwal confirmed that an SUV passing through the area has also gone missing, and efforts are underway to trace the vehicle and its driver. The phone of the vehicle owner has reportedly been switched off since the incident.
Rescue operations continue with all agencies deployed, as distraught locals watch on in the hope of finding the missing alive.
