'Will We Also Die, Papa': Six-Year-Old Asks Parent As She Witnesses Shimla Landslide Horror

Over 30 people were killed in Shimla district while the death toll across the Himachal Pradesh crossed 70 in the rain related incidents.

Rescue workers search for survivors after a landslide following monsoon rains in Shimla

Source : PTI

Devastation dawned upon residents of Shimla’s Krishnanagar as incessant rains battered Himachal Pradesh that triggered a landslide and caused heavy damage to life and property. As the horror of a devastating landslide hit the region, reducing several houses and other buildings to rubble on Independence Day, residents rushed out of their homes amid the commotion. Over 30 people were killed in the Shimla district while the death toll across the state rose to 72.  

“There were screams as the side of a hill barely 100 metres from our home, across a nullah, slid. A couple of multi-storey houses, some makeshift homes and a slaughterhouse were buried under the rubble,” narrated one of the residents, also a reporter with the news agency.

“Will we also die? Will our house break, papa,” his six-year-old daughter asked as the tragedy unfolded. 

“Our daughter was already upset when this landslide in Krishnanagar locality took place. Two girls, studying in nursery and Class 2 at her school, had died Monday when a landslip buried a Shiv temple in the city's Summer Hill locality,” he added.

People who lost their home were howling, a woman ran around barefoot looking for her husband, narrated the reporter. “An employee at the slaughterhouse – the building below the houses on the hillside – was looking for his manager.” 

“I can see a hand,” a man said, he added. 

While the locals had their difficulties, the path was not easy for the rescue workers. “Should I touch your feet, only then would you leave?"  a rescue worker told a local resident who had a tough time keeping people away while mud continued to slide. 

“Battered by three days of rain, the Himachal Pradesh capital tells a tale of destruction. There have been other smaller landslips. The city is dotted with fallen trees and snapped power lines. Cracks have appeared on roads and several buildings are at risk,” the reporter stated.