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One more body recovered; death toll in Shimla temple collapse mounts to 13

Even as hopes of finding survivors from the debris of collapsed Shiv temple at Summerhill in the suburbs of Shimla…

One more body recovered; death toll in Shimla temple collapse mounts to 13

[Photo : ANI]

Even as hopes of finding survivors from the debris of collapsed Shiv temple at Summerhill in the suburbs of Shimla city are bleak, joint rescue operations continued on third day on Wednesday.

With one more body retrieved today, the death toll has mounted to 13 from the site since Monday morning after the landslide struck at around 7.15 am owing to heavy rains, trapping several people under the debris and muck.

More people are still feared buried under the debris, apprehend the district administration as the temple was thronged by devotees to offer prayers on the last Monday of Sawan, when the tragedy struck.

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Besides, the spot where the temple collapsed the joint operations teams scattered to adjoining areas, searching downstream of the nallaha that washed away the rubble of the temple along with the rain water and debris.

Himachal police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army jawans along with the locals, frantically searched for more dead bodies in the nallaha after one of the domes of the temple and a statue of Lord Shiva was excavated.

The incident has wiped out three generations of a family of seven including grandfather, grandmother, father and mother and their three children had got trapped under the debris.

So far bodies of five of the family members have been excavated and two including a child are still missing.

Meanwhile, Shimla city was witness to threat to more building collapse on Wednesday, and many houses and offices were evacuated.

The Uraban Development department building Talland above the Cart Road, and another building above the Cart Road opposite St Edward School, Electricity Board Office and Bank housed in the Shimla Municipal Corporation parking building near Lift Shimla have been vacated due to landslip causing danger to the foundation of these buildings.

The traffic on the Circular Cart Road in Shimla city remained affected on Wednesday as fear of collapse of these buildings loomed large.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner, Aditya Negi said that one body of a lady was recovered from near the Shiv temple site and rescue operations were still underway as more are feared to have been buried.

As per assessment of the buildings in Shimla district that are endangered due to landslips and sinking, administration is vacating them to ensure the safety of the people, he added.

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