Himachal horror: 7 Kashmiris feared dead as landslide strikes Kullu

A tragic twist of nature struck Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday, 4 September, as a massive landslide claimed the lives of at least seven Kashmiris, leaving the region reeling in shock and grief.

Rescue teams are racing against time in the landslide-stricken terrain of Kullu, battling debris and treacherous conditions to save those trapped and bring relief to the affected.

“All the feared dead Kashmiris are residents of Tulail in the Valley’s Bandipora district, who were working as labourers in Himachal,” officials said.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah has conveyed profound sorrow over the devastating landslide in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, mourning the lives lost—including those of cherished residents from J&K.

“The chief minister’s office is in touch with the local administration in Kullu, and all possible assistance is being extended,” the office of J&K CM said on X.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said a landslide in Kullu led to the collapse of two houses, leaving around 12-13 people feared trapped.

“An NDRF team carried out collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) operations, during which three injured persons were rescued and one body was recovered. Search and rescue operations are continuing to trace the remaining trapped victims,” the NDRF posted on X.

Further details were awaited as rescue operations were on.

Himachal Pradesh and J&K have been in the throes of the worst flood disaster for some time.

In J&K, 67 persons were killed and over 100 were injured in a cloudburst at Chashoti village of Kishtwar district on 14 August. Most of the killed and injured people in Chashoti village cloudburst were pilgrims of the Machail Mata Yatra.

On 26 August, at least 35 pilgrims of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine were killed in the Trikuta Hills of Reasi district by a landslide.

The landslide struck at a time when the Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra had been temporarily suspended, and most pilgrims had safely returned to the Katra base camp. Yet, a number of devotees had sought refuge at a shelter along the sacred route, only for that very sanctuary to be engulfed by the relentless landslide.

In response, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha has directed the formation of a high-level committee, led by the Additional Chief Secretary, to meticulously probe the circumstances and underlying causes that culminated in this tragic calamity along the revered pilgrimage path.

With IANS inputs