Source The Hindu
SHIMLA / LAHAUL-SPITI — In a harrowing disaster brought on by incessant monsoon rains in the high Himalayas, at least 13 people—including a six-month-old infant—lost their lives after heavy boulders detached from a hillside and crushed a moving passenger vehicle.
The incident took place near Kaddu Nallah on the Udaipur–Killar road, along the rugged border zone connecting Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts. Two passengers managed to survive by leaping out of the vehicle moments before impact, though both sustained injuries.
A Sudden Collapse on a Treacherous Stretch
The victims, all hailing from the isolated tribal Pangi Valley in Chamba district, were returning home from Kullu aboard a Tata Sumo taxi.
The travel group had already faced delays the previous day due to monsoon-triggered landslides. After waiting overnight in Tindi for road crews to clear the debris, traffic was cleared to resume. However, as the vehicle traversed the narrow mountain pass near Kaddu Nallah, a massive section of the unstable hillside gave way without warning.
Huge rocks rolled down the steep cliff, slamming directly onto the passenger vehicle. The force of the impact was so severe that the rear portion of the taxi caught fire, while the structural body was flattened under the immense weight of the fallen rock.
“The impact was catastrophic,” shared local rescue personnel. “The force of the falling boulders completely crushed the vehicle structure, making identification efforts extremely challenging.”
Rescue Operations and Emergency Response
Emergency services, local police, and personnel from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were immediately deployed to the site to lead recovery operations.
Survival against the odds: Two occupants miraculously survived by jumping clear of the vehicle right as the rockfall hit, suffering non-life-threatening injuries.
Casualties: Officials confirmed that 13 people—comprising seven men, four women, an unidentified infant, and the driver—succumbed to the severe impact.
Identification efforts: Due to the extreme damage, authorities noted that formal identification of several victims remains ongoing, with DNA testing ordered for cases where physical identification is not immediately possible.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed profound grief over the loss of lives. He directed Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Kiran Bhadana to personally supervise rescue efforts, oversee relief disbursements, and ensure the best possible medical care for the injured survivors.
Monsoon Havoc Across the Hills
The tragedy highlights the persistent dangers of monsoon travel across the high-altitude terrain of Himachal Pradesh. The Udaipur–Killar road, a vital arterial route for isolated tribal communities in the Pangi Valley, is notoriously vulnerable to shooting stones and sudden landslides during heavy rainfall.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heightened alert for normal-to-heavy monsoon spells across several districts. District authorities have reiterated strict travel advisories, urging citizens and motorists to delay non-essential travel along active landslide corridors and check official updates before attempting high-mountain road journeys.
