Destructive Landslide Hits Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, Eight Buildings Ravaged; No Casualties Reported
A significant landslide struck the town of Ani in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, resulting in the destruction of at least eight residential structures. Fortunately, no loss of life has been reported in this unsettling incident.
Disturbing video footage showcased a massive commercial building succumbing to the force of the landslide.
Videos circulating on social media captured the harrowing sight of multiple buildings collapsing on the hillside, accompanied by the crash of trees and debris.
Live videos capturing the buildings’ collapse swiftly went viral on social platforms, capturing the desperate cries of local residents fleeing the area in a bid to safeguard their lives.
Deputy Commissioner of Kullu, Ashutosh Garg, explained that these structures were at high risk of collapse, prompting the administration to evacuate them a week earlier.
Unrelenting rainfall has led to the weakening of the soil in the region, setting the stage for the tragic collapse of these buildings.
Disturbing visuals emerge from Anni, Kullu, depicting a massive commercial building collapsing amidst a devastating landslide.
It’s noteworthy that the administration had identified the risk and successfully evacuated the building two days prior. pic.twitter.com/cGAf0pPtGd
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 24, 2023
The administration, under the vigilant eye of the Deputy Commissioner, is closely monitoring the situation.
The Chief Minister noted that the administration had previously identified the potential risk and had evacuated a commercial building two days prior.
The meteorological office had issued a ‘red alert’ on Wednesday, forecasting “heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated instances of extremely heavy downpours” in six out of the state’s twelve districts within the next 24 hours. This month alone, 120 people have lost their lives due to rain-related incidents in the state, with a total of 238 deaths and 40 people still missing since the onset of the monsoon on June 24. The ‘red alert’ was sounded for parts of Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur districts.
The Meteorological Department also issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday. Himachal Pradesh has experienced three significant episodes of heavy rainfall this monsoon season.
The first, occurring on July 9 and 10, led to extensive destruction in Mandi and Kullu districts. The second spell, striking on August 14 and 15, impacted Shimla and Solan districts. Shimla city bore the brunt of the third spell on Tuesday night.
According to the state’s emergency operation center, over 12,100 houses have been partially or completely damaged. The state has suffered losses amounting to Rs 10,000 crore (approximately $1.3 billion USD) due to the heavy rains. — With contributions from Kullu.
