Himachal Tragedy: 15 Killed As Landslide Hits Bus; Efforts Underway To Rescue Trapped Passengers

Shimla: At least 15 people died after a massive landslide hit a moving bus in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district on Tuesday evening.

The mishap took place incident occurred near Balu Bridge when a large amount of mud and rocks slid down from a hillside and crashed onto a private bus, burying the vehicle under heavy debris.

There were around 30-35 passengers in the bus, which was operating on Marotan-Kalaul route when tragedy struck. Three passengers, including two children, have been rescued.

An intense search and rescue operation is underway to locate those who are trapped under the debris.

Expressing condolences for those who lost their lives, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he is closely monitoring the situation.

“Rescue operations are ongoing at a war footing. Instructions have been given to the authorities to deploy their full machinery. I am in touch with the local administration and am continuously receiving moment-by-moment updates on the entire rescue operation,m” the chief Minister wrote on X.

Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar confirmed to India Today TV that 15 people have been killed, and three rescued alive.

A video from the site shows a JCB clearing the debris while several men attempt to rescue the trapped passengers.