Bus Narrowly Escapes Landslide in Nainital, No Casualties Reported

A video of the incident showed the bus reversing to a safe zone as passengers rushed out the vehicle.

Image for representational purpose.

(Photo: PTI)

Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam

A bus with passengers onboard narrowly escaped a mountain landslide in Uttarakhand's Nainital. News agency ANI reported that at least 14 passengers were on board the vehicle when rocks began to fall off the side of the mountain.

The landslide, which is said to have been triggered by heavy rainfall, claimed no lives and passengers could be seen rushing out of the bus and running away as rocks and uprooted trees came crashing down in front of the bus.

Passengers recording the video could be heard sighing with relief as the driver reversed the vehicle to a safe area, as falling debris blocked the road ahead. News18 reported that landslide in the viral video occurred near Veerbhatti bridge near Jeolikot, Nainital.

The IMD had issued moderate to severe thunderstorm warnings on Friday, 20 August for over Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and other states, alerting possible damage to people and animals staying outdoor.

In July, two cloudbursts in the districts of Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi left at least 3 dead and 4 people missing following warnings of heavy rainfall across the state. In May, over 30 people who had been missing after flash floods triggered by a glacier burst hit the state in February were declared dead by the state government.