Himachal: Rescue operation still underway for missing 8-year-old in landslide-triggered bus accident

Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 8 (ANI): Search Operations are still underway for an 8-year-old boy after a landslide struck a private bus in the Balughat area of the Jhandutta assembly segment in Bilaspur, killing 15 people, police said on Wednesday.
SP Bilaspur Sandeep Dhawal informed that the rescue operation commenced today at 6:40 am for the boy.
SP 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.
Meanwhile, locals from the site of the accident spoke with ANI and 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 8 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.
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)