Death toll in Himachal landslide rises to 16; rescue teams search for survivors

The death toll from the massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district climbed to 16 on Wednesday after the body of a child was pulled out from the rubble, officials said.

Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Sandeep Dhawal told PTI that one more body had been recovered in the morning, raising the toll to 16.

The landslide struck on Tuesday evening in the Bhalughat area, burying a private bus carrying around 25 passengers after two days of heavy rainfall destabilised the hillside. Authorities said several people are still missing and the chances of survival are diminishing.

Rescue operations, which had to be halted Tuesday night due to poor visibility and recurring mudslides, resumed at first light on Wednesday. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, assisted by police, firefighters, home guards, and local volunteers, are working through the debris. Officials said dog squads have been deployed to help trace the missing, while heavy machinery is being used to remove large rocks, TNIE reported.

Officials confirmed that 15 bodies have been recovered so far from the landslide site in Bilaspur district. Among the victims were four members of a family returning from a function, along with two women and two children. Two children, Arushi and Shaurya, were pulled out alive, treated at AIIMS Bilaspur, and later discharged.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who visited the site, said the bodies would likely be handed over to families by late Wednesday morning.

Agnihotri also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Pointing to the state’s repeated disasters, he remarked that Himachal Pradesh had suffered losses of about ₹20,000 crore due to natural calamities since 2023 and stressed the need to reassess the development model.