Seven bodies recovered from vehicle trapped under landslide debris

Nearly 24 hours after rocks and boulders fell on a vehicle following a landslide on the Kailash-Mansarovar route here, bodies of seven persons were pulled out of the debris.

Pithoragarh: Nearly 24 hours after rocks and boulders fell on a vehicle following a landslide on the Kailash-Mansarovar route here, bodies of seven persons were pulled out of the debris on Monday, officials said.

The bodies of three children, two men and a woman have been identified, they added.

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The incident occurred around 2 pm on Sunday near the Thakti area of this Uttarakhand district when the SUV got trapped under a huge mound of rubble falling from the adjacent hills, the officials said.

The victims were travelling from Gunji to Dharchula when the landslide occurred, Pithoragarh ADM Shiv Kumar Baranwal said.

A search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the accident which continued till 8 pm on Sunday. It was resumed on Monday morning and by 1 pm all bodies had been recovered, Baranwal said.

The SDRF, ITBP, Army police personnel and the locals had a tough time removing the huge mound of debris to reach the bodies, he said.

The deceased have been identified as Kopila (13), Kashish (10) and Nitin (5), children of one Biden Singh of Napalchu village, Tula Ram (62) and his wife Asha Devi (56) of Bundi village, the driver Kishan Singh Bhatt of Baluakot village, Baranwal said.

One person among the deceased is yet to be identified, the ADM said.

The debris has been cleared from the route and the road opened for traffic, he added.