Landslide Buries Private Bus in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, 15 Dead

At least 15 people were killed and several others feared trapped after a massive landslide struck a hillside and buried a private bus on Tuesday evening in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, officials said. The vehicle was engulfed near Ballu Bridge in the Bhalughat area of the Jhandutta assembly segment as a large sweep of mud, rock and earth came down onto the road, rescuers and local authorities said.

District officials and police recovered 15 bodies from the site and said three people were pulled alive from the debris and taken to a local hospital. The bus, a private operator's 32-seater, had been traveling on the Marotan to Ghumarwin route and was carrying more than 30 passengers, authorities said; the exact number onboard has not yet been confirmed. Video from the scene showed heavy machinery clearing the wreckage while emergency crews and local volunteers worked to locate survivors.

Police, fire service teams and the state disaster management authority responded to the site and continued search operations through the night. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said rescue operations are "ongoing at a war footing" and that he was in close contact with...