Himachal: Rescue operation under way for missing 8-year-old in landslide-triggered bus accident

BILASPUR (Himachal Pradesh): Search operations were under way for an 8-year-old boy after a landslide struck a private bus in Balughat area of the Jhandutta assembly segment in Bilaspur, killing 15 people, police said on Wednesday.

Bilaspur SP Sandeep Dhawal informed that the rescue operation commenced at 6.40 am on Wednesday for the boy. Dhawal also informed that the post-mortem of the 15 deceased in the accident is being carried out at the Community Health Centre in Barthin. He said that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has arranged extra doctors for the Post-mortems.

#WATCH | Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh | Wreckage of the private bus that was caught in a landslide in the Balurghat area of the Jhanduta sub-division last evening, which resulted in the death of 15 passengers. pic.twitter.com/a3W2CYZjZ2

— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2025

Meanwhile, locals from the site of the accident said that a similar landslide had taken place here eight days ago. “We were discussing yesterday that this point is really bad. A landslide occurred here eight days ago, too. Department cleared the debris just a little and let everything else remain there…The bus used to leave from Malari for Marotan every day at 8.45 am. It used to ply twice a day…Thankfully, it wasn’t raining at the time and the bodies could be recovered by 1.30 am”, Pawan Sharma, a local, said.

“Around 15 bodies have been recovered. Two live victims were found. Search for one more person has been underway since last night,” another local, Rajkumar Kaushal, informed about the rescue operations.

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh | Canine squad of the NDRF also joins the search and rescue operation at Bilaspur. A private bus was caught in a landslide in the Balurghat area of the Jhanduta sub-division last evening; 15 passengers died in the incident. pic.twitter.com/p4gEOrTprK

— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2025

Earlier, Bilaspur SP Sandeep Dhawal said local residents assisted in saving the two children. “Upon receiving information about this incident, we dispatched our police rescue team, Home Guard rescue team, and fire department vehicles to the scene. Local people provided a great deal of assistance in this incident and saved two children,” he said.

The incident occurred when the private bus, carrying passengers through the hilly stretch, was suddenly struck by falling debris following heavy rains in the region. Local administration, police, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams rushed to the spot to carry out rescue operations.

Of the 15 killed, the bodies of nine men and four women have been recovered. Two children who sustained injuries have been shifted to AIIMS Bilaspur. (ANI)