A landslide in northern India sent rocks tumbling down a mountain and colliding with a vehicle, killing at least nine individuals, many of whom were tourists, and damaging a bridge.
A dramatic video shows stones tumbling into a valley in Himachal Pradesh, a Himalayan state. According to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the vehicle was transporting 11 individuals.
In addition to the nine people killed, two more were injured, as well as a passer-by. According to local news outlets, the passengers killed in the vehicle were tourists from India's capital, Delhi, and other parts of the nation.
India experiences landslides amid excessive rain
Per The Globe and Mail, ITBP troops rushed to the scene near Badseri village in Himachal Pradesh's mountainous Kinnaur district to launch a rescue operation, according to ANI. According to television footage, the Batseri bridge in the Kinnaur area crumbled, and other cars were damaged as stones moved downhill due to landslides.
The accident caused by a landslide in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh is extremely sad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. He sends his sincere sympathies to the families of those who have died as a result of this tragedy. The Prime Minister vows to prepare the arrangements for individuals injured in the accident.
The event occurs as India faces days of landslides and flooding caused by torrential monsoon rains in the western region of the nation, which have killed at least 113 people and wounded 50 others. More than 130,000 people were rescued from almost 900 impacted villages throughout Maharashtra, including Ratnagiri district and Kolhapur, according to a government spokesperson.
The navy also sent rescue crews with boats to the area, as well as helicopters to remove stranded individuals. Officials said Talai, 168 miles (270 kilometers) south of Mumbai, was one of the worst-affected villages, with 59 homes buried by a huge landslide on Thursday, as per Sky News.
On Sunday, rescuers discovered two more dead, bringing the total number of people killed to 42, with an unknown number still missing. Rescue operations were hampered by bad weather, tough terrain, and huge debris, according to state official Sagar Pathak.
During the June-September monsoon season, when excessive rain undermines the foundations of constructions that are typically poorly designed, landslides and flooding are prevalent in India. Experts believe the severe rains along India's western coast are consistent with how rainfall patterns have changed in the region in recent years as a result of climate change, as the Arabian Sea warms, resulting in more cyclones and more intense rainfall over shorter periods. Over 30 people were killed in landslides in and around Mumbai over the weekend.
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Several rescue staff deployed in devastated states
As a result of the heavy rains that have devastated numerous states throughout India, up to 150 NDRF personnel have been deployed in relief and rescue operations. Maharashtra has expanded the number of rescue squads in response to the rising number of floods.
In the state alone, 34 special rescue groups are deployed. Several other states are experiencing flood-like conditions, with eight NDRF teams deployed in Telangana, seven in Karnataka, and several in Assam, among others. Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, took a trip to flood-ravaged Chiplun, where he met with authorities and local representatives to assess the damage, Republic World reported.
Related Article: Pandemic, Epidemic, Monsoon? India Battered As At Least 100 Dead in Floods and Landslides
