India flooding: Nine killed by falling boulders triggered by heavy rains

Nine tourists have died and three others were injured when a landslide which was caught on camera destroyed part of a village in northern India.

Video showed the terrifying moment boulders tumbled down a mountain and smashed into village of Chitkul, located in the Himalayas, snapping a bridge in two while leaving roads and houses badly damaged.  

The tourists, from Delhi, were travelling along a road from Chitkul to the nearby village of Sangla – known for having some of the cleanest air in India – in a minivan when it was crushed by the falling rocks.

Three others were injured in the same landslide, triggered by heavy rains which eroded soil, including a local who was hurt when part of their house was destroyed.

Nine tourists were killed and three others injured when a landslide triggered by torrential rains sent boulders crashing into a village in northern India

Nine tourists were killed and three others injured when a landslide triggered by torrential rains sent boulders crashing into a village in northern India

Rocks smashed into the village of Chitkul, in the Himalayas, destroying a bridge (pictured) while badly damaging houses and a road on Sunday

Rocks smashed into the village of Chitkul, in the Himalayas, destroying a bridge (pictured) while badly damaging houses and a road on Sunday

Among the dead was Deepa Sharma, a doctor who was identified among the victims by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who she was friends with.

Posting on Instagram, Ranaut described the death as ‘beyond tragic’ and said she ‘feels terrible’ after getting the news.

Local officials said rocks had been falling from the mountains for the last two days after heavy rains swept through the area, and that one vehicle had already been damaged while travelling along the road – though nobody was injured.

President Ram Nath Kovind told the Hindustan Times: ‘Deeply saddened by the news of the death of many people in a landslide in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. 

‘Express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish the injured people a speedy recovery.’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi added his condolences and said arrangements have been made to get financial assistance to the relatives of the victims.

Chitkul had been hit by torrential rains in the days leading up to the rockslide, eroding soil from the mountainside and causing the boulders to come loose

Chitkul had been hit by torrential rains in the days leading up to the rockslide, eroding soil from the mountainside and causing the boulders to come loose

One of the dead was identified as Dr Deepa Sharma, after a Bollywood actress she was friends with posted a tribute to her Instagram page

One of the dead was identified as Dr Deepa Sharma, after a Bollywood actress she was friends with posted a tribute to her Instagram page

The landslide struck the village of Chitkul, in the Indian Himalayas, which attracts tourists because it has some of the cleanest air in the country

The landslide struck the village of Chitkul, in the Indian Himalayas, which attracts tourists because it has some of the cleanest air in the country

India is currently in the midst of monsoon season which has so-far killed some 160 people in flooding and landslides as the country is hit by torrential rains.  

India’s western coast was hit by severe rainstorms over several days, with a quarter of a million people evacuated from their homes in three states and power cut across vast areas.

Experts say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of the annual deluge – which is critical to replenishing rivers and groundwater but also causes widespread death and destruction.

‘The focus has now shifted to evacuating the injured and restoring electricity as water levels recede,’ a National Disaster Relief Force spokesperson said.

‘The rainfall has stopped in most places and water levels have receded. We are helping with clean-up, relief and restoration.’

In the worst-hit state Maharashtra, where the toll rose to 149 on Sunday, officials said search operations were halted in the hillside village of Taliye, southeast of Mumbai.

Some 53 bodies have been recovered in the village so far, with 17 people still missing, after a large landslide washed away people and homes on Thursday.

In the neighbouring district of Satara, 29 people were killed in multiple landslides.

India is in the midst of monsoon season which has triggered flooding and landslides across the country, which have killed 159 (pictured, a landslide victim is recovered in Maharashtra state)

India is in the midst of monsoon season which has triggered flooding and landslides across the country, which have killed 159 (pictured, a landslide victim is recovered in Maharashtra state)

Rescue workers recover the body of a person who was killed in landslides which hit Maharashtra state, India, after being triggered by heavy rainfall

Rescue workers recover the body of a person who was killed in landslides which hit Maharashtra state, India, after being triggered by heavy rainfall

Rescuers evacuate people from a flooded village in Maharashtra state, India, with tens of thousands of people currently displaced from their homes

Rescuers evacuate people from a flooded village in Maharashtra state, India, with tens of thousands of people currently displaced from their homes

And in Chiplun, 24 hours of uninterrupted rain caused water levels to rise by nearly 20ft on Thursday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday described what happened in that district as ‘unimaginable’.

‘The water level reached the ceiling of my shop, there was so much water inside,’ a shopkeeper there told Indian news broadcaster NDTV.

‘We’ve seen floods before in 1965 and 2005, but this was worse than before,’ another resident added.

Neighbouring state Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the floods were the worst since 1982.

Further south in Karnataka state, nine people died in flooding and four others were missing, officials said.

Authorities were trying to restore power supply to the affected districts. 

source: dailymail.co.uk