Landslide near Mandi: 2 rescued, vehicles stranded

Shimla, Aug 1: A massive landslide buried a truck leaving two persons seriously injured while hundreds of vehicles were stranded as debris blocked the Kiratpur-Manali National Highway near Hanogi, about 30 kms from Mandi late last night.

The injured identified as Naitar Singh (39) of Darla and Gyan Chand (30) of Rahla village in Mandi district, about 147 km from here, were rescued and rushed to hospital, ASP Kulbhushan Sharma said.

The truck is still trapped under the debris and efforts are on to pull it out with the help of a crane, he said.

The traffic on the national highway has come to a halt and vehicles have been diverted through alternative route via Katola between Kullu and Mandi but hundreds of tourists were stranded in the area since late last night on either side of the blockade.

The fragile hills in this region are highly prone to landslides especially during the monsoons, disrupting vehicular traffic and posing threat to the commuters.

PTI