10 dead, 13 rescued as landslide hits Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur
Shimla, Aug 11: Ten people were killed, 13 rescued and several others feared buried under debris after a landslide trapped a bus and other vehicles in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Wednesday, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq said 10 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble so far.
He said the rescue operation is underway to locate several other people trapped under the debris.
State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said the landslide and shooting stones occurred at Chaura village on National Highway-5 in Nigulsari area of Nichar tehsil in Kinnaur district at around noon.
One passenger vehicle, a Tata Sumo, was located under the debris and eight persons were found dead in it, he said.
The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, which was on its way from Reckong Peo to Haridwar via Shimla when the accident took place, is still buried under the debris along with the passengers, Mokhta said.
A car was partially damaged, while another fully damaged and rescue teams are trying to pull them out from the debris with the help of a crane, officials said.
A truck rolled down towards a riverside due to shooting stones and the driver's body has been recovered, they added.
Earlier, Station House Officer of Bhawanagar said around 25 to 30 were trapped under the debris.
Among the dead are five women and a child, a state official spokesperson said.
Of the deceased, two have been identified as Rohit Kumar (25) of Kaiya village in Rampur in Shimla district and Vijay Kumar (32) of Jhol village in Sujanpur in Hamirpur district, Mokhta said.
The State Disaster Management Authority has requisitioned the NDRF from Nurpur for conducting the search and rescue operation, the SHO said.
District administration officials, search and rescue team comprising members of local police, homeguards, NDRF, ITBP, Quick Response Team (Police) and Medical Team are at the incident site, he said.
Ten ambulances, four earth removers, 52 personnel of the ITBP's 17th Battalion, 30 personnel of police and 27 NDRF personnel are carrying out the rescue operation, he added.
Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told the state assembly that there are reports that 50-60 people were feared trapped under the debris, but the exact number was not known.
He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah has talked to him and the topmost priority as of now is to rescue those trapped under the debris and provide them the best possible treatment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Thakur over the incident.
"PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
Union Home Minister Shah also spoke to Thakur to take stock of the situation arising due to the landslide
The home minister also directed the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to provide all assistance to the Himachal Pradesh government in rescue and relief operations.
Thakur also told the assembly that an Army official called him and extended help.
A helicopter is also being arranged for the rescue operation, the chief minister said.
He said the landslide occurred when there was no rainfall in the area at that time.
The officials identified the injured as Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus driver Mahinder Pal of Bilaspur, bus conductor Gulab Singh of Mandi, Prashant, Varun Menon (both from Una), Rajender of Hamirpur, Daulat of Kinnaur, Shorang Project driver Charan Jeet Singh of Naleenakal in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib, Saveen Sharma of Nepal, Japti Devi (60) of Rampur in Shimla, Chander Gyan of Pooh in Kinnaur, Arun (33) of Rampur, Anil Kumar (19) and Kaizang Negi of Skibba in Moorang in Kinnaur.
They have been shifted to Bhawanagar community health centre (CHC), the officials added.
They said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem
Earlier in the day, Deputy Commissioner Sadiq told PTI that several vehicles, including the HRTC bus carrying over 40 passengers, were buried under the debris.
Several people have been killed in landslides in the state this monsoon season.
Earlier on July 25, nine people were killed and three others injured in multiple landslides near Batseri on Sangla-Chitkul road in Kinnaur district.
Similarly on July 27, at least eight people died, two were injured and two went missing in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst over the Tozing Nullah in Udaipur of Lahaul-Spiti district.
Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur had informed the state assembly on August 4 that a total of 218 people have died and 12 were missing in Himachal Pradesh this monsoon season.
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Delhi-bound Air India flight carrying MPs diverted due to snag, Venugopal says it was 'harrowing'
New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal has claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi "came frighteningly close to tragedy".
In a statement, the airline said that Air India flight AI2455, flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Venugopal said, "Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi -- carrying myself, several MPs and hundreds of passengers -- came frighteningly close to tragedy today."
"What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai...
"For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt -- another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. In that split second, the Captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board. The flight landed safely on the second attempt," he said.
"We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," the Congress leader wrote.
Responding to Venugopal on X, Air India said, "We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions."
"A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC (air traffic control) during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway ... Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight," Air India claimed.
"We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to you. However, safety is always our priority," the airline added.
The flight AI2455, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, was airborne for more than two hours, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
"The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route," the airline said in a statement earlier.
Air India said the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo the necessary checks.
Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused.
Details about the number of passengers were not available.
The flight took off a little past 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm, according to Flightradar24.com.
In recent weeks, there have been instances of Air India's aircraft facing technical snags.
