Death toll in Nugalsari landslide rises to 28

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 17

The death toll in the Nugalsari landslide incident in Kinnaur district rose to 28 with the recovery of three more bodies today. The rescue operations would continue tomorrow.

The rescue teams of the ITBP, NDRF, police, Home Guards and the Fire Department recovered the three bodies. However, it was a herculean task for them to extract the bodies that were buried under the debris on a cliff, below the road, which was not visible from any side.

“It was the seventh day of the rescue operations and we did everything from climbing almost a 360 degree slope with a Porcelain excavator, using rope links, drones, fire extinguishers as shooting stones were a continuous hurdle,” said Abid Hussain Sadiq, Deputy Commissioner.

A Mahendra Bolero SUV had been found buried under the debris but there was no one in it. Fire engines were pressed into rescue operations yesterday and the debris was flushed out to locate the bodies. Till now, 13 persons trapped under the landslide debris had been rescued and 11 of them were seriously injured but they are safe now and recovering. All 28 bodies had been identified. As per the list released by the Kinnaur district administration, all 14 bodies had been recovered but the rescue operations would continue tomorrow.

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