15 killed as landslide buries bus in Himachal’s Bilaspur; rescue ops underway

At least 15 passengers were killed when a private bus was struck by a massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district on Tuesday evening, officials said.

The accident took place in Bhalughat area in Jhandutta assembly segment around 6:30 pm, they said, adding the bus carrying 25-30 passengers was on its way from Marotan to Ghumarwin.

Several people are believed to be trapped under the debris while three have been rescued, the officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased while the injured would be given Rs 50,000.

“Saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi wrote on X.

Intermittent rains have been lashing the area since Monday.

So far 15 people including the driver and the conductor of the bus have died while three rescued alive were sent to hospital, BJP MLA from Jhandutta J R Katwal, who was on the spot, told PTI over the phone.

Police and district administration officials are at the spot and rescue operations are going on in full swing, said Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Sandeep Dhawal, maintaining that 15 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.

Whole mountain came crashing down on the bus, said an eyewitness engaged in the rescue operations.

Union health minister J P Nadda, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri have expressed grief over the accident.

CM Sukhu directed the officials to expedite the rescue operations, an official statement said.