Landslide in Himachal sweeps away two buses, 50 feared dead

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In a tragic scene which unfolded following a massive landslide by a cloudburst in India's northern Himachal Pradesh state on Sunday, two buses carrying at least 55 passengers were swept off the road into a gorge.
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Sources indicate as many as 50 people have lost their lives in the mishap. Atleast 47 dead bodies were recovered on Sunday before search operations were called off.

A confirmatory search is underway since today morning, but reports suggest all the bodies have been recovered.

The incident happened in the Mandi district, 431 km (268 miles) north of New Delhi on early Sunday morning. Officials said the landslide struck around 12.24am on the highway near Kotrupi, where the two buses had halted for refreshments.

Sources said a Katra-bound bus was first hit by a big boulder, then the landslide. The bus rolled down 200 metres into a gorge. Its mangled remains were later retrieved by rescue teams. Teams of NDRF, Army, police and home guards were immediately deployed at the spot

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