Landslide kills newlywed in Chamba

A newlywed couple was killed when a massive landslide, triggered by relentless rainfall, struck the house of the woman’s parents at Sutanh village in Chadi gram panchayat of Mehla block in Chamba district in the wee hours today. The couple, who had married a few months ago, were asleep in the house when the tragedy occurred. Heavy rocks and mud from the upper slopes came down crashing on the house, completely destroying it.

The bodies were recovered from the debris of the landslide and sent to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Chamba, for a post-mortem examination.

Chamba Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal said that the landslide struck two houses in Chari village between 3 am and 4 am. “Huge boulders along with the landslide came down from the hills and hit a house, where the couple was sleeping, damaging it completely. The woman along with her husband was sleeping in her parent’s house when the incident occurred. They were killed in the boulder strike. Both bodies have been recovered,” he added.

The woman had arrived at her parents’ home five days ago, while her husband joined her yesterday. The couple was sleeping in a newly constructed house adjacent to the main family residence when the landslide occurred. Other family members sleeping in the older house had a narrow escape but the couple was buried under the debris.

Meanwhile, overnight heavy rainfall caused widespread damage in Chamba district. Several roads were blocked and the maize crop was washed away in many areas. As a precautionary measure, schools in Churah subdivision remained closed on Monday to ensure students’ safety.

In the Saho area, several houses were evacuated after the Sangera Nullah overflowed, posing a severe threat to local residents.

Landslides blocked the Chamba-Tissa road at Nakrod and Pangola, while the Nakrod-Thalli Road was cut off after a flooded stream swept away a small bridge.

Two cars were damaged in a landslide at the Jasaurgarh junction on the Chamba-Tissa road. A car was pushed into a gorge after hit by falling rocks while another car was crushed under boulders. However, no loss of life or injuries to anyone were reported.