One more body found in Kangra’s Boh valley, landslide toll 9

Lalit Mohan

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Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 15

One more body was recovered today on Thursday from Boh valley landslide site taking the death toll to nine. One person was still missing.

NDRF teams and state authorities were trying to locate the missing person.

Those who died in Boh valley landslide include, Mamta, daughter of Bhim Sen; Kartik, son of Bhim Sen, Masto Devi, wife of Bhim Sen, Shiv Prashad son of Subhash Chand, Shakuntala Devi wife of Prakash Chand, Kanchna Devi wife of Meghnath, Bhim Singh, son of Ghaniya Ram, Shabnam daughter of Vijay Kumar and Subhash Chand son of Durga Das.

The body of Subhash Chand was recovered today.

Vijay Kumar, his wife Kanchana Devi and daughter Vanshika were among the lucky survivors in catastrophe. Vijay Kumar who has suffered fracture in legs and his wife are now admitted in Civil Hospital, Shahpur. He has lost his one-and-half-year-old daughter Shabnam in the landslide.

While talking to The Tribune Vijay Kumar said he was outside his house on July 12 at 11 am trying to clean the drain outside his house. “It was raining and water was flowing fast from a nullah on the hill top overlooking his house. The landslide started slowly. Stones and muck started coming down the hill initially in small quantities. Suddenly a huge landslide started and it gave us no time to escape. I ran inside my house shouting at the top of my voice to my wife and daughters to stay inside. By the time I reached the verandah of my house I was trapped in neck deep in the muck brought down by the landslide,” Vijay Kumar said.

Vijay Kumar said there was just 1 ft distance between his head which was free from muck and roof of verandah of his house. “I could breathe but feared that I would be killed. What gave me courage was that I could hear the voices of my wife and daughter Vanshika from inside the house,” he said.

Vijay said his daughter Vanshika who had access to his mobile phone called up her teacher and other people in their vicinity calling for help. Her teacher came with other people and started the rescue. “They tore open the roof of their house and pulled out Vanshika and my wife. Later I was also rescued,” he said.

Vijay’s wife Kanchana Devi, also admitted in civil hospital, was still shocked at the tragedy that had struck them. “We had never expected that an entire hill could have descended on us. The loss of my younger daughter Shabnam in the landslide has left unhealable memories, she said sobbing.

Meanwhile, the kin who were catering to Vijay Kumar and his family complained regarding the poor condition of roads in their area. They alleged that rescue teams reached late in their area as the road to their village was totally damaged and one had to walk 4 km to reach there.