8 feared dead in major landslide at Himachal Pradesh's Manikaran Saheb
Manikaran: At least eight people were killed and 10 injured when a building adjoining the historic Manikaran Sahib Gurdwara caved in due to a massive landslide this afternoon.
Kullu Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar confirmed that eight bodies which were buried under huge boulders have been extricated while search is on for more.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the dead could be more than eight in number as a large number of people had taken shelter in the building, close to the Gurdwara, when the tragedy struck.
The exact number of dead or injured could not be ascertained as some bodies are feared to be buried under the debris.
The district administration has sought the assistance of Gurdwara authorities in locating and identifying the bodies as most people staying in the building were outsiders.
People ran helter-skelter as boulders fell on the building and many were trapped as a huge portion of the three-storey building virtually collapsed.
The locals and Gurdwara management immediately swung into action and started rescue operations while Additional District Magistrate, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Kullu and other district officials rushed to the spot.
Those injured have been admitted to zonal hospital at Kullu and condition of seven of them is stated to be serious.
10 ppl dead & many feared trapped after boulders fell on Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib building (HP) due to a landslide pic.twitter.com/0o66LLZtaF
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 18, 2015