4 buildings collapse as massive landslide hits Kullu district: Official

Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) [India]: Kullu, Additional District Magistrate, Ashwini Kumar on Thursday said that four buildings “collapsed” hours after a massive landslide struck Anni town in Kullu district earlier in the day.

The official said the collapsed buildings were rendered “vulnerable” with the recent rains in the state on August 15.

Kumar said, “Today, in Anni, 4 buildings collapsed. These buildings were already in vulnerable condition following the heavy rainfall on August 15…There were no casualties…..I have been told that 3-4 more buildings are in vulnerable condition…” He said, that following the incident, the local sub-district magistrate has constituted a committee to inspect the site.

The video clip of the landslide and the mayhem it unleashed went viral on social media.

The authenticity of the viral clip was confirmed by the police.

In the clip, several houses are seen collapsing like a deck of cards in the Anni town of Kullu district.

The Himalayan state has reported widespread destruction and deaths in the rain fury and the landslides it triggered.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Kullu-Mandi Highway was damaged following heavy rainfall in the district, an official said.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the route.

“There is a traffic jam stretching to nearly 5-10 kilometres. We have nothing to eat or drink. People are starving here.

The snarl should be cleared soon,” a commuter said.

An official said the Public Works Department was trying to restore the normal flow of traffic at the earliest.

“The road connecting Kullu and Mandi has been damaged. An alternative route via Pandoh has also been damaged. Hence, the movement of traffic is suspended for now,” Sakshi Verma, Superintendent of Police, Kullu, said.

Earlier, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, predicting heavy to very rainfall in Himachal Pradesh over two days starting Thursday.

The state has reported 113 landslides this monsoon season.

A total of 224 lives have been lost in the monsoon fury in Himachal while another 117 died in rain-related accidents so far, stated a government bulletin earlier.

According to the latest data shared by the state government, the total loss to the coffers from the ongoing rain fury has reached Rs 8014.61 crore since June 24, when monsoon arrived in the state.