Nine people died and a crucial bridge was destroyed when large boulders fell on them from a hill in Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The incident happened at around 2.15 PM at Batseri village in Sangla Valley, when a landslide caused large boulders to tumble down from the top of a mountain near the village.
According to early reports, 9 tourists from the Delhi NCR region died in the incident when the large rocks fell on their vehicle. Three others were injured in the unfortunate incident. They have been admitted and rushed to a hospital in Sangla. The vehicle was on the way to Chitkul, a popular tourist destination, when the rocks fell on it.
Chitkul, a village located on the right bank of Baspa River, is the last village of the Baspa Valley and the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. It is also the last point in India one can travel to without a permit.
Reportedly, a large number of vehicles have been destroyed in the area by the rockslide.
The calamity also caused the Valley bridge in the Batseri village to collapse when large rocks fell on it following the landslide on the hill. The bridge was on the Baspa river, and it is on the road between Seringche and Batseri.
A terrifying video of the incident has been posted by Prasar Bharati, where large rocks can be seen hurtling down the mountain on the valley below. The video was captured by someone on a mobile phone from a house just near the bridge, and it shows a large high-speed rock smashing the bridge into two.
Senior officials of the administration including Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Reportedly, tourists were advised not to go near the landslide-prone areas and police had blocked the routes, but some people managed to evade the blockades to reach the area. Landslide warning had been issued in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rains.