The road communications with the tribal district of Kinnaur, a strategically important district bordering China, got snapped on Monday following a massive landslide on National Highway number 5, around 150 km from Shimla, the capital city in Himachal Pradesh.
Sudesh Mokhta, Special Secretary state Disaster Management Authority said the landslide occurred at Jeori.
“We had alerted the locals and motorists travelling between Rampur to Jeori or ahead to Kinnaur about the possibility of a landslide as the mountain was cracking up. This helped the government to avert any human loss or damage to the property,” he said.
However, the National Highway remains blocked due to the debris falling on the road and also caving in a portion of the NH at the affected site.
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The video footage of the landslide has already gone viral on social media.
The district officials informed that machinery and manpower have been pressed into service to clear the debris and restore the road communication as this section of the NH also caters to the needs of the Indian army, apart from tourists and locals –several stranded on either side.
The landslides in Himachal Pradesh have already claimed at least 40 lives in different incidents over the past few months. Chandigarh-Manali national highway and Shimla-Parwanoo Road has also been witnessing landslides almost every week.
