Shimla: At least eight houses, including six makeshift ones, were razed to the ground and a slaughterhouse was buried under debris in a landslide in Krishnanagar locality here on Tuesday evening. Two persons died which are trapped under the rubble of the houses, officials said. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also visited the affected areas.
Uprooting of a large tree caused a landslip leading to the collapse of a cluster of houses with deafening noise. At least two persons are feared trapped and possibility of more people under the debris cannot be ruled out, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi told PTI.
Cracks had developed in some houses in the morning following which most of the residents vacated them, the officials said.
Local councillor Bittu Panna said at least two persons who were inside the slaughterhouse are feared trapped under the debris.
Videos of people in nearby houses screaming and telling the inmates to leave immediately were circulated on social media. Heart-wrenching scenes of people calling for help and running for safety were witnessed at the site.
As the police, State Disaster Response Force and locals started rescue operations, several residents in the nearby houses ran out with their belongings.
“My husband is trapped in the debris,” a wailing woman who rushed to the spot after hearing the loud sound of slide told PTI.
Atma Ram, an employee of the slaughterhouse, said that his manager is feared trapped under the debris.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said two people died in a landslide incident in Shimla’s Krishna Nagar area. “A total of 60 people have died in the state so far due to incessant rainfall,” he said. Sukhu also said that the state’s educational institutes will be closed tomorrow. “Bodies are being recovered in the Summer Hill area as well. I request people to vacate their houses if any crack is developed,” he added.
At the time of construction of this slaughter house, there were slides and houses were vacated. Even after construction of retaining walls, there was seepage the problem persist, an eye witness of the incident Amit told the PTI. He said that at least 15 families have been rendered homeless after the incident.
On Monday, two landslides took place in Shimla, one at a Shiva temple in Summer Hill and the other at Fagli, which have claimed 16 lives.
Heavy rains battered Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, triggering landslides and cloudbursts that blocked several roads and led to house collapse incidents.
PTI