A massive boulder crashed down a hillside in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul Spiti district on Friday, crushing a passenger vehicle and killing 13 people inside, including a six-month-old infant, officials said.
Event Context
Singh urged people to avoid travelling on landslide-prone routes amid the ongoing spell of heavy rains and advised them to follow official advisories before undertaking journeys in the mountainous region.
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Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the deputy commissioner to proceed immediately to the incident site and supervise the rescue and relief operations. He also asked the district authorities to provide all possible assistance to the next of kin of the deceased.
Team Analysis
The incident took place on the Udaipur–Killar road near Kaddu Nallah, about 60km from Lahaul Valley. The victims, residents of Pangi Valley, an isolated tribal region in Chamba district, were on their way from Kullu to Pangi when boulders started rolling down. Officials said the vehicle, a Tata Sumo, was crushed by a massive boulder.
Pangi sub divisional magistrate Amandeep Singh said rescue teams from the Lahaul and Spiti police, along with local administration personnel, rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the incident.
Match Outlook
Lahaul Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana said the deceased include seven males, four females, and an infant whose gender has not yet been identified. “The identity of one person is yet to be ascertained and a DNA test for the same will be conducted,” Rana said.
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According to preliminary information, the passengers had stayed overnight at Tindi after the Udaipur–Killar road was blocked on Thursday. They resumed their journey towards Pangi after the road was reopened on Friday morning, when the tragedy took place near Kaddu Nala.
Deputy Commissioner (Lahaul-Spiti) Kiran Bhadana said the vehicle was buried under debris following a landslide and rockfall incident on the Sansari Nala-Killar-Thirot-Tandi road on Friday. All 13 people travelling in the vehicle, including the driver, died in the incident.
Bhadana said joint rescue operations involving the police, local administration, and the Border Roads Organisation were launched immediately to clear the landslide.
She added that the process of identifying the deceased was underway. The district administration is closely monitoring the situation, and rescue and relief efforts are being continuously supervised, she said.
