News Analysis India

Tag: Landslide

  • ‘Death better than this nightmare’: Landslide victims helpless after Himachal rain fury

    By PTI

    SHIMLA: “Death would have been better than going through this nightmare with nowhere to go and no shoulder to cry on,” says Promila who lost everything when a room in a building she stayed in crumbled in a landslide.

    A landslide in the morning of August 23 had partially damaged Prari House — a government servant quarters Promila stayed in with her ailing mother near Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMCH).

    Narrating her plight to PTI on Friday, she said, “I live with my 75-year-old mother who is suffering from ovarian cancer and has been undergoing treatment since 2016.

    I also lost my job as a sales girl in a shop in Ram Nagar in the city market last week due to the recession as there were no customers.

    “I slept at IGMCH on Thursday night as there is no place to go,” says Promila, who does not have siblings, or a father and is also separated from her husband.

    “I am desperately looking for a job and am willing to even clean and sweep as I am in dire need of money for my mother’s treatment,” she says before adding, “My mother is all I have.” Promila has studied up to class 10.

    ALSO READ | Eight buildings collapse in Himachal’s Kullu due to rain-triggered landslide

    “We could not salvage our belongings and the only thing left is the clothes we were wearing while running out of the collapsed house,” says another landslide victim Suman whose room was adjacent to Promila’s.

    Suman who works as a domestic help says that she has lost everything in the landslide and that she has no money to even pay her son’s school fees.

    She said they have no shelter, no clothes and that even the books of her son studying in Class 5 were damaged in the landslide.

    “Our plight is miserable but it did not attract the attention of the authorities as no casualty was reported in this landslide.

    What is the use of getting so many donations, if the state government cannot help the disaster victims,” she says.

    “We had food at a gurdwara and are shuttling between our relatives’ houses, but we have not received any help or immediate relief,” she adds.

    Shimla has witnessed several landslides in the past weeks with the toll in rain-related incidents in the district in the past 10 days rising to 26, which include 17 deaths in Summer Hill landslide, five in Fagli and two in Krishna Nagar.

    ALSO READ | Himachal Pradesh rains: Death toll rises to 78; over 800 deodars uprooted 

    As many as 120 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state this month while a total of 238 people have died and 40 are still missing since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24.

    Himachal Pradesh saw three major spells of heavy rains this monsoon.

    The first on July 9 and 10 led to large-scale destruction in Mandi and Kullu districts.

    Shimla and Solan districts were hit during the second spell on August 14 and 15 and Shimla city suffered heavy damage in the third spell on Tuesday night.

    SHIMLA: “Death would have been better than going through this nightmare with nowhere to go and no shoulder to cry on,” says Promila who lost everything when a room in a building she stayed in crumbled in a landslide.

    A landslide in the morning of August 23 had partially damaged Prari House — a government servant quarters Promila stayed in with her ailing mother near Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMCH).

    Narrating her plight to PTI on Friday, she said, “I live with my 75-year-old mother who is suffering from ovarian cancer and has been undergoing treatment since 2016.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    I also lost my job as a sales girl in a shop in Ram Nagar in the city market last week due to the recession as there were no customers.

    “I slept at IGMCH on Thursday night as there is no place to go,” says Promila, who does not have siblings, or a father and is also separated from her husband.

    “I am desperately looking for a job and am willing to even clean and sweep as I am in dire need of money for my mother’s treatment,” she says before adding, “My mother is all I have.” Promila has studied up to class 10.

    ALSO READ | Eight buildings collapse in Himachal’s Kullu due to rain-triggered landslide

    “We could not salvage our belongings and the only thing left is the clothes we were wearing while running out of the collapsed house,” says another landslide victim Suman whose room was adjacent to Promila’s.

    Suman who works as a domestic help says that she has lost everything in the landslide and that she has no money to even pay her son’s school fees.

    She said they have no shelter, no clothes and that even the books of her son studying in Class 5 were damaged in the landslide.

    “Our plight is miserable but it did not attract the attention of the authorities as no casualty was reported in this landslide.

    What is the use of getting so many donations, if the state government cannot help the disaster victims,” she says.

    “We had food at a gurdwara and are shuttling between our relatives’ houses, but we have not received any help or immediate relief,” she adds.

    Shimla has witnessed several landslides in the past weeks with the toll in rain-related incidents in the district in the past 10 days rising to 26, which include 17 deaths in Summer Hill landslide, five in Fagli and two in Krishna Nagar.

    ALSO READ | Himachal Pradesh rains: Death toll rises to 78; over 800 deodars uprooted 

    As many as 120 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state this month while a total of 238 people have died and 40 are still missing since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24.

    Himachal Pradesh saw three major spells of heavy rains this monsoon.

    The first on July 9 and 10 led to large-scale destruction in Mandi and Kullu districts.

    Shimla and Solan districts were hit during the second spell on August 14 and 15 and Shimla city suffered heavy damage in the third spell on Tuesday night.

  • First person: Tale of destruction from Shimla

    By PTI

    SHIMLA: “Will we also die, will our house too break, papa,” my six-year-old daughter asked as the horror of the devastating rains here hit home on Independence Day.

    Our family had rushed out after hearing a deafening roar. There were screams as the side of a hill barely 100 metres from our home, across a nullah, slid. A couple of multi-storey houses, some makeshift homes and a slaughterhouse were buried under the rubble.

    Our daughter was already upset when this landslide in Krishnanagar locality took place. Two girls, studying in nursery and class 2 at her school, had died Monday when a landslip buried a Shiv temple in Summer Hill locality.

    But for us, the landslide nearer home was more heartbreaking, even if the casualties were far fewer than in the one at the Shiv temple.

    The Krishnanagar houses had begun showing cracks and most people had evacuated hours earlier. Minutes later, when I reached the spot, people who had lost their homes were howling. A woman ran around barefoot, searching for her husband.

    An employee at the slaughterhouse — the building below the houses on the hillside — was looking for his manager.

    “I can see a hand,” a man said.

    Rescue workers had a tough time keeping people away as mud continued to slide.

    “Should I touch your feet, only then would you leave?” a rescue worker told a local resident.

    Shaken by the landslide, people in adjoining homes that were still standing too began to leave, carrying away whatever they could. A small girl held a bag as she sobbed. A man carried his old mother on his shoulders. I too left to file the report.

    There was no electricity at my home-office and several other Shimla localities for two days, and I typed on my phone. Every now and then it needed to be plugged into the car-charger.

    Later, two bodies were pulled out of the rubble. One of them, a police officer told me, had been decapitated.

    Battered by three days of rain, the Himachal Pradesh capital tells a tale of destruction.

    There have been other smaller landslips. The city is dotted with fallen trees and snapped power lines. Cracks have appeared on roads and several buildings are at risk. Cart Road, which encircles Shimla, is blocked due to two landslides, which it is feared might lead to the collapse of some endangered buildings.

    On Mall Road, tourists are missing. Over 30 people have died in Shimla district.

    The state-wise toll over three days of rains crossed 70 on Wednesday, and more bodies needed to be pulled out of the rubble.

    SHIMLA: “Will we also die, will our house too break, papa,” my six-year-old daughter asked as the horror of the devastating rains here hit home on Independence Day.

    Our family had rushed out after hearing a deafening roar. There were screams as the side of a hill barely 100 metres from our home, across a nullah, slid. A couple of multi-storey houses, some makeshift homes and a slaughterhouse were buried under the rubble.

    Our daughter was already upset when this landslide in Krishnanagar locality took place. Two girls, studying in nursery and class 2 at her school, had died Monday when a landslip buried a Shiv temple in Summer Hill locality.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    But for us, the landslide nearer home was more heartbreaking, even if the casualties were far fewer than in the one at the Shiv temple.

    The Krishnanagar houses had begun showing cracks and most people had evacuated hours earlier. Minutes later, when I reached the spot, people who had lost their homes were howling. A woman ran around barefoot, searching for her husband.

    An employee at the slaughterhouse — the building below the houses on the hillside — was looking for his manager.

    “I can see a hand,” a man said.

    Rescue workers had a tough time keeping people away as mud continued to slide.

    “Should I touch your feet, only then would you leave?” a rescue worker told a local resident.

    Shaken by the landslide, people in adjoining homes that were still standing too began to leave, carrying away whatever they could. A small girl held a bag as she sobbed. A man carried his old mother on his shoulders. I too left to file the report.

    There was no electricity at my home-office and several other Shimla localities for two days, and I typed on my phone. Every now and then it needed to be plugged into the car-charger.

    Later, two bodies were pulled out of the rubble. One of them, a police officer told me, had been decapitated.

    Battered by three days of rain, the Himachal Pradesh capital tells a tale of destruction.

    There have been other smaller landslips. The city is dotted with fallen trees and snapped power lines. Cracks have appeared on roads and several buildings are at risk. Cart Road, which encircles Shimla, is blocked due to two landslides, which it is feared might lead to the collapse of some endangered buildings.

    On Mall Road, tourists are missing. Over 30 people have died in Shimla district.

    The state-wise toll over three days of rains crossed 70 on Wednesday, and more bodies needed to be pulled out of the rubble.

  • Rain fury in Uttarakhand leaves three dead, Chardham Yatra suspended

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Torrential rains ravaged Uttarakhand on Monday, destroying buildings and causing landslides which breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines and left three people dead and five others missing.

    A private defence training academy on the outskirts of Dehradun also collapsed amid the incessant rains.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials to review the rain situation in the state and it was decided to suspend the Chardham yatra for two days.

    Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said a landslide hit a camp at Lincholi near Kedarnath, killing one person identified as 26-year-old Kalu Bahadur from Nepal.

    Two bodies were also recovered from rain-fed streams near Shiv Mandir and Miranagar areas in Rishikesh.

    One of them has been identified as 35-year-old Dinesh Panwar, a resident of Amit Gram.

    The other body is being identified, an official at AIIMS, Rishikesh where the bodies have been kept said.

    Four-five people were missing after a landslide in Laxmanjhula area of Pauri district.

    Commuters on a waterlogged road following monsoon rains, at Maldevta village in Dehradun district (Photo | PTI)

    Heavy rains triggered the landslide whose debris fell on a resort in the area trapping four-five people under it, Senior Superintendent of Police, Pauri, Shweta Choubey told PTI over the phone.

    Rescue and relief teams have reached the spot and a search operation has been started, she said.

    Dhami, in a Facebook post, said heavy casualties have been reported due to rains in Pauri which is extremely sad.

    Swollen rivers inundated many districts with surging rainwater entering buildings and submerging vehicles.

    Located on the banks of Song river near Lalpul, the building of the Dehradun Defence Academy caved in on Monday morning, Tehri Sub Divisional Magistrate Ashish Ghildiyal said.

    No one was injured as the building had been vacated in advance, he said.

    It is a private institution whose building was constructed 15 years ago, former Zilla panchayat member Akhilesh Uniyal said.

    Most of the rivers were overflowing due to the rain with the Ganga flowing above the danger mark in Tehri, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

    Alaknanda, Mandakini and Ganga rivers were flowing above the danger level at Rudraprayag, Shrinagar and Devprayag, the disaster control room here said.

    The Badrinath National Highway is blocked at a number of places due to landslide debris.

    There is also information about one person being buried under the debris near Pipalkoti.

    In the Chamoli district, a flood-like situation has developed along the banks of a dozen rivers, including Alaknanda and its tributaries Pindar, Nandakini and Birhi.

    DEHRADUN: Torrential rains ravaged Uttarakhand on Monday, destroying buildings and causing landslides which breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines and left three people dead and five others missing.

    A private defence training academy on the outskirts of Dehradun also collapsed amid the incessant rains.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials to review the rain situation in the state and it was decided to suspend the Chardham yatra for two days.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said a landslide hit a camp at Lincholi near Kedarnath, killing one person identified as 26-year-old Kalu Bahadur from Nepal.

    Two bodies were also recovered from rain-fed streams near Shiv Mandir and Miranagar areas in Rishikesh.

    One of them has been identified as 35-year-old Dinesh Panwar, a resident of Amit Gram.

    The other body is being identified, an official at AIIMS, Rishikesh where the bodies have been kept said.

    Four-five people were missing after a landslide in Laxmanjhula area of Pauri district.

    Commuters on a waterlogged road following monsoon rains, at Maldevta village in Dehradun district (Photo | PTI)

    Heavy rains triggered the landslide whose debris fell on a resort in the area trapping four-five people under it, Senior Superintendent of Police, Pauri, Shweta Choubey told PTI over the phone.

    Rescue and relief teams have reached the spot and a search operation has been started, she said.

    Dhami, in a Facebook post, said heavy casualties have been reported due to rains in Pauri which is extremely sad.

    Swollen rivers inundated many districts with surging rainwater entering buildings and submerging vehicles.

    Located on the banks of Song river near Lalpul, the building of the Dehradun Defence Academy caved in on Monday morning, Tehri Sub Divisional Magistrate Ashish Ghildiyal said.

    No one was injured as the building had been vacated in advance, he said.

    It is a private institution whose building was constructed 15 years ago, former Zilla panchayat member Akhilesh Uniyal said.

    Most of the rivers were overflowing due to the rain with the Ganga flowing above the danger mark in Tehri, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

    Alaknanda, Mandakini and Ganga rivers were flowing above the danger level at Rudraprayag, Shrinagar and Devprayag, the disaster control room here said.

    The Badrinath National Highway is blocked at a number of places due to landslide debris.

    There is also information about one person being buried under the debris near Pipalkoti.

    In the Chamoli district, a flood-like situation has developed along the banks of a dozen rivers, including Alaknanda and its tributaries Pindar, Nandakini and Birhi.

  • Nine people killed in rain incidents over 24 hours in Uttarakhand

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Nine people have died in separate rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours across Uttarakhand as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday took stock of the situation and directed all district magistrates to stay on the alert.

    One person is missing in the incidents which also left around half a dozen people injured.

    Two siblings were killed and a third got injured when the hut they were sleeping in was hit by a landslide in the early hours of Wednesday amid incessant rains in Gaurikund, the base camp of Kedarnath Yatra. This was the second landslide in Gaurikund in five days.

    The shack near the helipad in Gaurikund village was hit by a landslide from the top of the hill, burying four of a family in debris, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.

    A woman named Janaki emerged unhurt out of the debris while her three children got buried under it, he said. On getting the information, rescue teams reached the spot, pulled out the children and took them to a local government hospital.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: One out of the two people who were stranded after a wall collapsed near Chaurasi Kutiya in the Laxman Jhula area, has been rescued by a team of SDRF. Search & rescue operation is underway: SDRF(Video Source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/hCSv9xffUr
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    Eight-year-old Sweety survived the incident and is being treated for injuries. Her younger sister Pinky, 5, and another small child, were declared dead at the hospital. The family living in the hut was from Nepal. The children’s father Satyaraj, a labourer, had gone to his village in Nepal.

    The spot in Gaurikund village is just half a kilometer away from the place where three persons were killed and 20 others went missing in a landslide that occurred on August 4.

    Five people were killed and as many injured in two separate road accidents in the past 24 hours in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, officials said.

    Four people, including a father-son duo, died when their car fell into a deep gorge on Tuesday night at Gumkhal, State Disaster Response Force official Praveen Rathi, who led the rescue operation, told PTI over the phone on Wednesday.

    SDRF personnel rushed to the spot after the accident and launched the rescue operation. The team initially brought out three bodies from the gorge to the main road with the help of rope stretchers, Rathi said. One more occupant of the car remained missing for hours after the accident. However, his body was recovered later, he said.

    The deceased were identified as Chandramohan Singh Bisht (62), his son Atul Bisht (35), and two others — Dinesh Singh (63) and Kamal Bisht (45), the SDRF official said.

    The four men were returning from Gumkhal market to their village Devdali located in Jaiharikhal area when the accident took place, he said.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: Severe waterlogging witnessed due to incessant rainfall in Dhalwala & Khara areas. SDRF launched a relief & rescue operation last night: SDRF(Visual source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/XOD3x1QdLH
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    In a similar accident near Mundaneshwar in Kaljikhal block of the district, one woman was killed and five others were injured when their car fell into an 80-metre deep gorge at 2 pm on Wednesday, the disaster control room in Pauri said.

    A woman travelling in a bus was killed and another injured when a rock fell over the vehicle on the Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway at around 8 am.

    The vehicle was coming from Jankichatti to Barkot.

    A man died in Gadarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar district on Tuesday when a tree fell over him.

    He has been identified as 25-year-old Akshay.

    Meanwhile, Dhami took an update on the excessive rains pounding the state and asked all DMs to remain in alert mode.

    He asked all departments to keep coordinating among themselves so that rapid action could be taken in case of a disaster.

    He spoke to the DMs of Rudraprayag, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar on the phone and asked them to keep the administrative arrangements ready in advance to deal with any situation that might emerge in areas vulnerable to natural calamities.

    DEHRADUN: Nine people have died in separate rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours across Uttarakhand as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday took stock of the situation and directed all district magistrates to stay on the alert.

    One person is missing in the incidents which also left around half a dozen people injured.

    Two siblings were killed and a third got injured when the hut they were sleeping in was hit by a landslide in the early hours of Wednesday amid incessant rains in Gaurikund, the base camp of Kedarnath Yatra. This was the second landslide in Gaurikund in five days.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The shack near the helipad in Gaurikund village was hit by a landslide from the top of the hill, burying four of a family in debris, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.

    A woman named Janaki emerged unhurt out of the debris while her three children got buried under it, he said. On getting the information, rescue teams reached the spot, pulled out the children and took them to a local government hospital.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: One out of the two people who were stranded after a wall collapsed near Chaurasi Kutiya in the Laxman Jhula area, has been rescued by a team of SDRF. Search & rescue operation is underway: SDRF
    (Video Source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/hCSv9xffUr
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    Eight-year-old Sweety survived the incident and is being treated for injuries. Her younger sister Pinky, 5, and another small child, were declared dead at the hospital. The family living in the hut was from Nepal. The children’s father Satyaraj, a labourer, had gone to his village in Nepal.

    The spot in Gaurikund village is just half a kilometer away from the place where three persons were killed and 20 others went missing in a landslide that occurred on August 4.

    Five people were killed and as many injured in two separate road accidents in the past 24 hours in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, officials said.

    Four people, including a father-son duo, died when their car fell into a deep gorge on Tuesday night at Gumkhal, State Disaster Response Force official Praveen Rathi, who led the rescue operation, told PTI over the phone on Wednesday.

    SDRF personnel rushed to the spot after the accident and launched the rescue operation. The team initially brought out three bodies from the gorge to the main road with the help of rope stretchers, Rathi said. One more occupant of the car remained missing for hours after the accident. However, his body was recovered later, he said.

    The deceased were identified as Chandramohan Singh Bisht (62), his son Atul Bisht (35), and two others — Dinesh Singh (63) and Kamal Bisht (45), the SDRF official said.

    The four men were returning from Gumkhal market to their village Devdali located in Jaiharikhal area when the accident took place, he said.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: Severe waterlogging witnessed due to incessant rainfall in Dhalwala & Khara areas. SDRF launched a relief & rescue operation last night: SDRF
    (Visual source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/XOD3x1QdLH
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    In a similar accident near Mundaneshwar in Kaljikhal block of the district, one woman was killed and five others were injured when their car fell into an 80-metre deep gorge at 2 pm on Wednesday, the disaster control room in Pauri said.

    A woman travelling in a bus was killed and another injured when a rock fell over the vehicle on the Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway at around 8 am.

    The vehicle was coming from Jankichatti to Barkot.

    A man died in Gadarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar district on Tuesday when a tree fell over him.

    He has been identified as 25-year-old Akshay.

    Meanwhile, Dhami took an update on the excessive rains pounding the state and asked all DMs to remain in alert mode.

    He asked all departments to keep coordinating among themselves so that rapid action could be taken in case of a disaster.

    He spoke to the DMs of Rudraprayag, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar on the phone and asked them to keep the administrative arrangements ready in advance to deal with any situation that might emerge in areas vulnerable to natural calamities.

  • Landslide kills 16 people in rain-hit tribal village in Maharashtra, flattens 17 homes; 21 rescued

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: At least 16 people were killed when a massive landslide struck a remote hilly tribal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district overnight amid rains, while the National Disaster Response Force stopped its day-long search and rescue operation for survivors due to downpour on Thursday, NDRF officials said.

    As many as 21 people were rescued from the site, they said.

    The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai, and flattened 17 of the nearly 50 houses in the hamlet, an official said.

    The incident took place after torrential rains in the hilly area.

    From the hill base, it takes around 1. 5 hours to reach Irshalwadi, which does not have a pucca road.

    NDRF and police officials said 16 bodies were recovered from the landslide site during the day, while 21 people were rescued. The Raigad police said the last rites of 13 victims were performed near the disaster site.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Irshalwadi in the morning to take stock of the situation and spoke to personnel engaged in the rescue operation. “Irshalwadi was not on the list of landslide-prone villages. Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble,” he told reporters at the site.

    This is a very unfortunate incident and the state government stands with the affected people, Shinde said. There is continuous heavy rainfall and the debris and rubble has mounted up to 15 to 20 feet, he added.

    Shinde said authorities were not able to move the machinery for the rescue operation. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the operation, but they have not been able to take off due to bad weather, he said.

    On the rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers, the CM said 50 to 60 containers have been arranged for them (as temporary shelters) and there was a plan to move them to a safer place.

    “We will soon take steps to carry out proper rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers. I have spoken to the divisional commissioner and district collector and discussed on the permanent rehabilitation of these villagers immediately. We are doing it on a war footing,” Shinde said.

    Search and rescue personnel at the site were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be easily moved, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other officials said.

    In the evening, NDRF personnel stopped their search and rescue operation at the landslide site due to bad weather and will resume the exercise on Friday morning. NDRF personnel were armed with only small tools as it was difficult to move heavy equipment to the disaster site due to hilly terrain and bad weather.

    “Due to continuous heavy rain and the threat of more landslides as well as darkness, the NDRF has called off its operation for the day,” an official said.

    The four NDRF teams heading the search and rescue operation along with scores of other personnel will re-start their task at 5 am on Friday, he said. Personnel and heavy equipment for the rescue and relief operation were sent from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

    An official said, acting on the directive of Chief Minister Shinde, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sent three Bobcat-make machines from its solid waste management department sites. These backhoe loaders, with greater manoeuvrability due to their small size, will help in speeding up rescue and relief operations.

    Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said rescue teams and equipment have moved towards the landslide site.

    A team of the Thane Disaster Response Force, fire engines from CBD Belapur, Vashi and Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, and personnel along with 10 ambulances have been dispatched, he said.

    Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a statement, said 48 families were living in the village. The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, officials said.

    Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road and is located 6 km from the Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai.

    Meanwhile, in a statement issued during the day, Deputy CM Pawar asked his supporters not to organise celebrations to mark his 63rd birthday on July 22 and directed them to donate money to rehabilitation efforts in the landslide-hit area.

    Incidentally, his supporters had planned to organise ‘Ajitotsav’ from July 22-31 to mark the birthday.

    A dinner planned for Deputy CMs Pawar and Fadnavis by NCP leader Praful Patel in Mumbai has also been called cancelled following the tragedy, Patel’s aide said.

    Eyewitnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi narrated the shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.

    They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate.

    There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man, who used to stay long with four friends at night in a school located at the foot of the hillock.

    Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard a loud sound.

    “I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses. My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris on the spot where my house was located,” he said fighting back tears.

    A couple and their toddler were among those who managed to extricate themselves from the debris.

    “I was sleeping when I realised we were covered by rubble and mud. I managed to pull out myself, my wife and child and then we all just ran out to save our lives,” a man said.

    “It was dark and I could hear screams of people but was not able to comprehend anything since I was unable to see what was going on. We are safe but our house is damaged,” he said, his face exhibiting the pain and shock that the incident has inflicted.

    This was the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the one that hit Malin village under Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district on July 30, 2014. The 2014 landslide, which claimed 153 lives, had swallowed up almost the entire tribal village of around 50 families.

    MUMBAI: At least 16 people were killed when a massive landslide struck a remote hilly tribal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district overnight amid rains, while the National Disaster Response Force stopped its day-long search and rescue operation for survivors due to downpour on Thursday, NDRF officials said.

    As many as 21 people were rescued from the site, they said.

    The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai, and flattened 17 of the nearly 50 houses in the hamlet, an official said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The incident took place after torrential rains in the hilly area.

    From the hill base, it takes around 1. 5 hours to reach Irshalwadi, which does not have a pucca road.

    NDRF and police officials said 16 bodies were recovered from the landslide site during the day, while 21 people were rescued. The Raigad police said the last rites of 13 victims were performed near the disaster site.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Irshalwadi in the morning to take stock of the situation and spoke to personnel engaged in the rescue operation. “Irshalwadi was not on the list of landslide-prone villages. Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble,” he told reporters at the site.

    This is a very unfortunate incident and the state government stands with the affected people, Shinde said. There is continuous heavy rainfall and the debris and rubble has mounted up to 15 to 20 feet, he added.

    Shinde said authorities were not able to move the machinery for the rescue operation. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the operation, but they have not been able to take off due to bad weather, he said.

    On the rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers, the CM said 50 to 60 containers have been arranged for them (as temporary shelters) and there was a plan to move them to a safer place.

    “We will soon take steps to carry out proper rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers. I have spoken to the divisional commissioner and district collector and discussed on the permanent rehabilitation of these villagers immediately. We are doing it on a war footing,” Shinde said.

    Search and rescue personnel at the site were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be easily moved, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other officials said.

    In the evening, NDRF personnel stopped their search and rescue operation at the landslide site due to bad weather and will resume the exercise on Friday morning. NDRF personnel were armed with only small tools as it was difficult to move heavy equipment to the disaster site due to hilly terrain and bad weather.

    “Due to continuous heavy rain and the threat of more landslides as well as darkness, the NDRF has called off its operation for the day,” an official said.

    The four NDRF teams heading the search and rescue operation along with scores of other personnel will re-start their task at 5 am on Friday, he said. Personnel and heavy equipment for the rescue and relief operation were sent from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

    An official said, acting on the directive of Chief Minister Shinde, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sent three Bobcat-make machines from its solid waste management department sites. These backhoe loaders, with greater manoeuvrability due to their small size, will help in speeding up rescue and relief operations.

    Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said rescue teams and equipment have moved towards the landslide site.

    A team of the Thane Disaster Response Force, fire engines from CBD Belapur, Vashi and Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, and personnel along with 10 ambulances have been dispatched, he said.

    Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a statement, said 48 families were living in the village. The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, officials said.

    Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road and is located 6 km from the Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai.

    Meanwhile, in a statement issued during the day, Deputy CM Pawar asked his supporters not to organise celebrations to mark his 63rd birthday on July 22 and directed them to donate money to rehabilitation efforts in the landslide-hit area.

    Incidentally, his supporters had planned to organise ‘Ajitotsav’ from July 22-31 to mark the birthday.

    A dinner planned for Deputy CMs Pawar and Fadnavis by NCP leader Praful Patel in Mumbai has also been called cancelled following the tragedy, Patel’s aide said.

    Eyewitnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi narrated the shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.

    They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate.

    There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man, who used to stay long with four friends at night in a school located at the foot of the hillock.

    Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard a loud sound.

    “I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses. My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris on the spot where my house was located,” he said fighting back tears.

    A couple and their toddler were among those who managed to extricate themselves from the debris.

    “I was sleeping when I realised we were covered by rubble and mud. I managed to pull out myself, my wife and child and then we all just ran out to save our lives,” a man said.

    “It was dark and I could hear screams of people but was not able to comprehend anything since I was unable to see what was going on. We are safe but our house is damaged,” he said, his face exhibiting the pain and shock that the incident has inflicted.

    This was the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the one that hit Malin village under Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district on July 30, 2014. The 2014 landslide, which claimed 153 lives, had swallowed up almost the entire tribal village of around 50 families.

  • Jammu-Srinagar highway reopens after 38-hour closure due to landslide

    By PTI

    BANIHAL/JAMMU: The one-way traffic resumed on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Wednesday after remaining suspended for about 38-hours following a landslide in Ramban district, officials said.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police, Traffic (national highway), Banihal, Asghar Malik said the road clearance operation at the landslide-hit Sher Bibi near Banihal was still going on.

    Hundreds of vehicles were left stranded on the highway after a massive landslide blocked the arterial road at Sher Bibi around 2 am Tuesday.

    The road clearance operation was hampered by continuous shooting of stones from the hillock throughout the day.

    “Despite intermittent shooting of stones, the road clearance agencies worked hard since this morning to ensure that the road is opened for one-way traffic which was allowed at around 4 pm (Wednesday),” Malik said.

    No fresh traffic was allowed either from Srinagar or Jammu for the second day in the morning as authorities focused on road clearance operation and to clear the stranded vehicles on priority, a traffic department official said.

    He said some more time is needed to make the road two-way at the landslide hit stretch.

    Meanwhile, J-K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta asked for a possibility of taking a “traffic holiday” for a day every week on the highway till March 15 so that it is better utilised for making some crucial repairs and completing a few essential works for making travel on the road a pleasant experience for the commuters.

    Reviewing the traffic scenario on the highway at a meeting with traffic authorities here, Mehta made it amply clear that in no case should travel time between the two capital cities exceed beyond seven hours on any day for light motor vehicles.

    The chief secretary enjoined upon the traffic authorities to enhance their personnel on all the damaged portions of the road for better traffic management.

    He impressed upon them to show zero tolerance towards road side parking hindering traffic flow, directing for having stringent regulations in place to deal with all the violators.

    Taking stock of the ongoing construction works, Mehta called for all out efforts to open the T5 tunnel on Panthiyal stretch of the highway by March 15, Jaiswal Bridge by March 31 and double-lane of Ramban Flyover and Banihal Bye-pass by April 15.

    BANIHAL/JAMMU: The one-way traffic resumed on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Wednesday after remaining suspended for about 38-hours following a landslide in Ramban district, officials said.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police, Traffic (national highway), Banihal, Asghar Malik said the road clearance operation at the landslide-hit Sher Bibi near Banihal was still going on.

    Hundreds of vehicles were left stranded on the highway after a massive landslide blocked the arterial road at Sher Bibi around 2 am Tuesday.

    The road clearance operation was hampered by continuous shooting of stones from the hillock throughout the day.

    “Despite intermittent shooting of stones, the road clearance agencies worked hard since this morning to ensure that the road is opened for one-way traffic which was allowed at around 4 pm (Wednesday),” Malik said.

    No fresh traffic was allowed either from Srinagar or Jammu for the second day in the morning as authorities focused on road clearance operation and to clear the stranded vehicles on priority, a traffic department official said.

    He said some more time is needed to make the road two-way at the landslide hit stretch.

    Meanwhile, J-K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta asked for a possibility of taking a “traffic holiday” for a day every week on the highway till March 15 so that it is better utilised for making some crucial repairs and completing a few essential works for making travel on the road a pleasant experience for the commuters.

    Reviewing the traffic scenario on the highway at a meeting with traffic authorities here, Mehta made it amply clear that in no case should travel time between the two capital cities exceed beyond seven hours on any day for light motor vehicles.

    The chief secretary enjoined upon the traffic authorities to enhance their personnel on all the damaged portions of the road for better traffic management.

    He impressed upon them to show zero tolerance towards road side parking hindering traffic flow, directing for having stringent regulations in place to deal with all the violators.

    Taking stock of the ongoing construction works, Mehta called for all out efforts to open the T5 tunnel on Panthiyal stretch of the highway by March 15, Jaiswal Bridge by March 31 and double-lane of Ramban Flyover and Banihal Bye-pass by April 15.

  • Cracks in another guesthouse after PWD building razed in Joshimath

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Even as the relief work in Joshimath has gathered pace, the threat to life has also increased. Despite the government’s continuous efforts towards relief and rescue work, the number of cracks in the houses is increasing daily.

    The situation in the land submergence area is constantly raising concerns for the administration as Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) guest house, where a team of scientists is staying for inspection, has also developed cracks. Fresh cracks have also been observed in the Sanskrit College buildings built in relief camps. The scientists and officials who came to Joshimath for investigation used to stay at the VIP guest house of GMVN near Gandhi Maidan.

    As soon as the cracks were noticed in the building on Wednesday morning, the staff informed the District Tourism Officer of Chamoli. Cracks have also developed in the buildings behind the police station in the city. It is being told that recently there have been cracks here.

    A policeman said there is a big pit behind the police station and the cracks have increased significantly in two days. According to the daily report released by the District Disaster Management Authority Chamoli regarding land submergence,  849 buildings in nine wards of Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Of these, 181 buildings have been kept in unsafe zones. DM Chamoli Himanshu Khurana told this newspaper, “The priority of the administration is to rehabilitate the affected people.“The distribution of relief material and assistance amount is also being done contiuously.”

    Heading towards a disaster

    Home Minister Amit Shah to announce special relief package for the displaced soonAdministration seeks option of rehabilitation site for affected 258 families with 865 peopleAuthorities worried over crack in relief camp hotel building

    DEHRADUN: Even as the relief work in Joshimath has gathered pace, the threat to life has also increased. Despite the government’s continuous efforts towards relief and rescue work, the number of cracks in the houses is increasing daily.

    The situation in the land submergence area is constantly raising concerns for the administration as Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) guest house, where a team of scientists is staying for inspection, has also developed cracks. Fresh cracks have also been observed in the Sanskrit College buildings built in relief camps. The scientists and officials who came to Joshimath for investigation used to stay at the VIP guest house of GMVN near Gandhi Maidan.

    As soon as the cracks were noticed in the building on Wednesday morning, the staff informed the District Tourism Officer of Chamoli. Cracks have also developed in the buildings behind the police station in the city. It is being told that recently there have been cracks here.

    A policeman said there is a big pit behind the police station and the cracks have increased significantly in two days. According to the daily report released by the District Disaster Management Authority Chamoli regarding land submergence,  849 buildings in nine wards of Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Of these, 181 buildings have been kept in unsafe zones. DM Chamoli Himanshu Khurana told this newspaper, “The priority of the administration is to rehabilitate the affected people.“The distribution of relief material and assistance amount is also being done contiuously.”

    Heading towards a disaster

    Home Minister Amit Shah to announce special relief package for the displaced soon
    Administration seeks option of rehabilitation site for affected 258 families with 865 people
    Authorities worried over crack in relief camp hotel building

  • Detailed zonation study of Joshimath dangers was sent to govt in 2001: Environmentalist

    'One study after another would not help until the governments begin to act on what they were recommended', Chandi Prasad Bhatt, whose request led NRSA to do zonation mapping, said.

  • Sinking town: Uttarakhand’s Joshimath declared landslide-subsidence zone, over 60 families evacuated

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone and over 60 families living in damaged houses in the sinking town have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, a senior official said on Sunday.

    At least 90 more families have to be evacuated.

    The local administration has set up relief centres at four-five places in the Himalayan town, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar said.

    Meanwhile, Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana went from door to door in the affected area to assess the extent of damage and appealed to people living in houses that have developed cracks to move to the relief centres.

    Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone.

    More than 60 families living in uninhabitable houses have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, Kumar told PTI.

    Considering the extent of the damage, at least 90 more families will have to be evacuated as soon as possible, he said.

    Kumar, who has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday, heads a committee tasked with monitoring the situation on the ground level.

    There are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath and 610 of these have developed huge cracks, making them unfit for habitation, he said.

    A survey is underway and the number of affected buildings could go up, he added.

    Kumar said the affected area, including houses that developed cracks earlier and the ones damaged recently, forms a big arch which could be spread over 1.5 km.

    Temporary relief centres have been set up at four-five safe places within Joshimath.

    READ HERE | Anthropogenic, natural factors responsible for Joshimath’s vulnerable foundations: Expert

    Some more buildings, including a few hotels, a gurdwara and two inter-colleges, have been acquired to serve as makeshift shelters that can accommodate around 1,500 people, he said.

    “Land subsidence has been going on slowly in Joshimath for quite some time but it has increased over the past week with huge cracks appearing in houses, fields and roads,” the Garhwal commissioner said.

    “The situation worsened apparently after a water channel beneath the town erupted last week,” he said.

    The priority at present is evacuating the affected people to safety, he said.

    Kumar said long-term measures being explored to deal with the situation range from reconstruction to retrofitting.

    Chamoli DM Khurana surveyed the affected area.

    People were told to move out of unsafe and uninhabitable houses as arrangements for their stay have been made in hotels, homestays and other safe places, he said.

    The state government will pay Rs 4,000 per month for up to six months to those who want to move to rented accommodations, he said, asking people not to risk their lives by choosing to continue living in the damaged houses.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who visited the affected areas in Joshimath on Saturday, held a meeting with officials here after returning and asked them to relax norms to expedite relief operations.

    He said they were asked not to get entangled in long procedural complexities and take direct clearance from him for work related to drainage treatment and sewage systems in Joshimath.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami over the phone to take stock of the situation in Joshimath, officials in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

    The PM sought updates on land subsidence in the town and the steps taken so far for the safety and rehabilitation of residents, they said.

    READ HERE | Uttarakhand: After Joshimath, cracks found in more than 50 houses in Karnaprayag

    They added that the PM is personally keeping a tab on the situation in Joshimath — known as the gateway to Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and famous skiing destination Auli.

    The National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun have been asked to conduct a study of Joshimath through satellite imagery and submit a detailed report with photographs.

    The Geological Survey of India has also been asked to examine the suitability of Koti Farm, Herb Institute and the Horticulture Department’s land in Joshimath and in Pipalkoti’s Semaldala area for rehabilitation purposes.

    DEHRADUN: Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone and over 60 families living in damaged houses in the sinking town have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, a senior official said on Sunday.

    At least 90 more families have to be evacuated.

    The local administration has set up relief centres at four-five places in the Himalayan town, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar said.

    Meanwhile, Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana went from door to door in the affected area to assess the extent of damage and appealed to people living in houses that have developed cracks to move to the relief centres.

    Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone.

    More than 60 families living in uninhabitable houses have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, Kumar told PTI.

    Considering the extent of the damage, at least 90 more families will have to be evacuated as soon as possible, he said.

    Kumar, who has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday, heads a committee tasked with monitoring the situation on the ground level.

    There are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath and 610 of these have developed huge cracks, making them unfit for habitation, he said.

    A survey is underway and the number of affected buildings could go up, he added.

    Kumar said the affected area, including houses that developed cracks earlier and the ones damaged recently, forms a big arch which could be spread over 1.5 km.

    Temporary relief centres have been set up at four-five safe places within Joshimath.

    READ HERE | Anthropogenic, natural factors responsible for Joshimath’s vulnerable foundations: Expert

    Some more buildings, including a few hotels, a gurdwara and two inter-colleges, have been acquired to serve as makeshift shelters that can accommodate around 1,500 people, he said.

    “Land subsidence has been going on slowly in Joshimath for quite some time but it has increased over the past week with huge cracks appearing in houses, fields and roads,” the Garhwal commissioner said.

    “The situation worsened apparently after a water channel beneath the town erupted last week,” he said.

    The priority at present is evacuating the affected people to safety, he said.

    Kumar said long-term measures being explored to deal with the situation range from reconstruction to retrofitting.

    Chamoli DM Khurana surveyed the affected area.

    People were told to move out of unsafe and uninhabitable houses as arrangements for their stay have been made in hotels, homestays and other safe places, he said.

    The state government will pay Rs 4,000 per month for up to six months to those who want to move to rented accommodations, he said, asking people not to risk their lives by choosing to continue living in the damaged houses.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who visited the affected areas in Joshimath on Saturday, held a meeting with officials here after returning and asked them to relax norms to expedite relief operations.

    He said they were asked not to get entangled in long procedural complexities and take direct clearance from him for work related to drainage treatment and sewage systems in Joshimath.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami over the phone to take stock of the situation in Joshimath, officials in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

    The PM sought updates on land subsidence in the town and the steps taken so far for the safety and rehabilitation of residents, they said.

    READ HERE | Uttarakhand: After Joshimath, cracks found in more than 50 houses in Karnaprayag

    They added that the PM is personally keeping a tab on the situation in Joshimath — known as the gateway to Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and famous skiing destination Auli.

    The National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun have been asked to conduct a study of Joshimath through satellite imagery and submit a detailed report with photographs.

    The Geological Survey of India has also been asked to examine the suitability of Koti Farm, Herb Institute and the Horticulture Department’s land in Joshimath and in Pipalkoti’s Semaldala area for rehabilitation purposes.

  • 4 killed, 6 injured in landslides in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Four people, including a policeman, were killed and six injured after landslides struck near the under-construction Ratle power project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Saturday, officials said.

    An operation to find and rescue survivors trapped under the debris has concluded, they said.

    Labourers were working on the construction of a link road near the Ratle power project site and a JCB machine was digging when a big boulder rolled down, trapping the workers, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Devansh Yadav told PTI.

    As an operation team comprising six people rushed to the spot to rescue those trapped under the debris, another landslide hit the area, burying more people, the officials said.

    Yadav said a rescue operation was launched immediately and six people, including an assistant sub-inspector of police, were pulled out from the debris and taken to the hospital.

    Four people, including a policeman and the JCB operator, were killed in the incident. The JCB operator was identified as Manoj Kumar, he said.

    Earlier, Yadav had said five people were trapped under the debris.

    Of the six injured, the officials said, three were rushed to the Government Medical College in Doda, two to the Thathri hospital and one was sent to Jammu.

    Jitendra Singh, Union minister and MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, said he spoke to Yadav after receiving a report on the landslide at the Ratle power project site.

    “The JCB driver, unfortunately, died on the spot,” he said.

    “Further assistance, as required, (is) being provided. I am in constant touch with the district  administration,” he said.

    Taking to Twitter, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha condoled the loss of lives in the incident.

    “Deeply anguished by mishap at Drabshalla-Ratle hydroelectric project. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for early recovery of injured,” he said.

    The district administration has been directed to provide all necessary assistance, he said.

    JAMMU: Four people, including a policeman, were killed and six injured after landslides struck near the under-construction Ratle power project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Saturday, officials said.

    An operation to find and rescue survivors trapped under the debris has concluded, they said.

    Labourers were working on the construction of a link road near the Ratle power project site and a JCB machine was digging when a big boulder rolled down, trapping the workers, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Devansh Yadav told PTI.

    As an operation team comprising six people rushed to the spot to rescue those trapped under the debris, another landslide hit the area, burying more people, the officials said.

    Yadav said a rescue operation was launched immediately and six people, including an assistant sub-inspector of police, were pulled out from the debris and taken to the hospital.

    Four people, including a policeman and the JCB operator, were killed in the incident. The JCB operator was identified as Manoj Kumar, he said.

    Earlier, Yadav had said five people were trapped under the debris.

    Of the six injured, the officials said, three were rushed to the Government Medical College in Doda, two to the Thathri hospital and one was sent to Jammu.

    Jitendra Singh, Union minister and MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, said he spoke to Yadav after receiving a report on the landslide at the Ratle power project site.

    “The JCB driver, unfortunately, died on the spot,” he said.

    “Further assistance, as required, (is) being provided. I am in constant touch with the district  administration,” he said.

    Taking to Twitter, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha condoled the loss of lives in the incident.

    “Deeply anguished by mishap at Drabshalla-Ratle hydroelectric project. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for early recovery of injured,” he said.

    The district administration has been directed to provide all necessary assistance, he said.