Landslide kills 7 in Himachal

At least 7 devotees were killed and nearly a dozen injured after a massive landslide shredded multiple stories of an adjoining Gurdwara building of the historic Manikaran Sahib Gurdwara in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday afternoon. The death toll could rise as many are still feared trapped under the debris.

Those hit by the landslide essentially includes a group of 18 devotees from Punjab’s Sangrur district who were visiting the holy shrine to pay obeisance. The main Manikaran Sahib Gurdwara, which is located in the Parvati Valley along the banks of river Parvati, about 85 km from tourist hotspot Manali at an altitude of over 1,700 meters above sea level, is safe and was not hit by any landslide.

According to Hari Singh, a member of the shrine management committee, a team of Gurdwara workers and local volunteers were the first to join the rescue operation soon after landslide hit.