6 killed, 20 trapped in lift's shaft in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla, Oct 27 (UNI) Six people were killed and 20 others feared trapped in the main shaft when a lift broke down at the Parbati Hydro Electricity Project stage-II at Sainj in Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh late last evening, police said.

Police sources confirmed that six people were on the lift when it stopped functioning.

According to labourers working at the site, 20 people, who were on the shift working inside the shaft, did not return.

However, the private company for which these labourers were working, said all the labourers, who were on duty, had returned safely.

According to the sources, a gas cylinder explosion led to the fall of the lift when the worker were 1500 meter down inside the shaft.

Power failure made the rescue and search operation difficult, the sources said.

It will take 14-15 hours to rescue the people who were trapped inside the shaft, the sources added.

UNI