CHANDIGARH: Four more bodies were recovered from the landslip site at a Shiv temple at Summerhill in Shimla and another person died in a fresh landslide on Tuesday in the state capital, taking the death toll to at least 54 in the rain havoc in Himachal Pradesh in two days.
The Unesco world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was damaged near Summer Hill after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging. The Pong dam authorities had to release more water in a controlled manner on Monday evening. However, the released water stranded villagers in the low-lying areas along the Beas. The authorities on Tuesday evening rescued 766 people in Fatehpur and the Indora sub-division of Kangra district.
A massive landslide razed a Shiv temple on Monday morning, trapping several devotees inside. A dozen bodies have been recovered from the site, pushing the toll to 54. A National Disaster Response Force team on Tuesday joined the rescue and search operation on Tuesday. Local residents said at least nine people whom they knew were missing.
“There could be more people, not known to the local residents, lying under the debris or being swept away by the swollen Beas,’’ said a resident. In another landslide in Shimla on Tuesday, at least five houses collapsed in the Krishna Nagar area. Sources said the houses were vacated earlier today as cracks had started to appear on the walls.
As a part of the hillock came crashing down, at least five houses collapsed upon a slaughterhouse where some people were reportedly working. Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi said the body of a person has been recovered from the debris. “Rescue operations are continuing. There are chances of more people being trapped,’’ said the police officer.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the toll might go up as the rescue work gains momentum. Kangra deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal has reportedly written to the Indian Air Force seeking help to rescue the stranded. Two IAF choppers were sent in, which saved 213 people in multiple sorties.
