India Landslide kills at least 13, dozens trapped

At least 13 people have died and dozens more are trapped under debris after a landslide in a Himalayan district in northern India.

Falling boulders swept a truck, a bus and other vehicles from a stretch of highway in Himachal Pradesh state.

Rescue operations are being hampered by rocks that are continuing to fall, officials say.

Several deadly landslides have hit India in recent months during an unusually heavy monsoon season.

Rescue operations
Wednesday’s landslide occurred on a highway in Kinnaur district. 10 people have been rescued, but about 30 others are still trapped, reports say.

Border police are taking part in the rescue efforts and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been put on alert.

“We expect the rescue operations to continue through the night, if not longer,” local official Abid Hussain Sadiq said.

Nine people were killed last month in Himachal Pradesh when falling rocks hit their vehicle. At least 136 people died in landslides in the western state of Maharashtra recently after heavy rains flooded hundreds of villages and swept away homes.

BBC/Nneka Ukachukwu