2 dead, dozens feared trapped by landslide in northern India

A landslide has struck several vehicles on a highway in the hills of northern India, killing at least two people and trapping dozens of others

India Landslide

A landslide struck several vehicles traveling on a highway in the hills of northern India on Wednesday, killing at least two people and trapping dozens of others, officials said.

Ten people have been rescued so far from a bus, a truck and a car that were hit by mud and rocks in the landslide in Himachal Pradesh state's Kinnaur district, police said.

More than 100 rescuers, including police and paramilitary personnel, were deployed to clear the rubble using four earth removers, police said in a statement. Ten ambulances waited to carry the injured to hospitals.

Two bodies have been recovered and about 25 to 30 people remain trapped, the statement said.

Heavy rain has caused several landslides in Himachal Pradesh state over the past few weeks. The region is 600 kilometers (375 miles) north of New Delhi

Disasters caused by landslides and flooding are common in India during the June-September monsoon season.

In August, about 150 people were killed by landslides and flooding triggered by monsoon rains in western India’s Maharashtra state.

Experts say heavy rainfall along India’s western coast is in line with how rainfall patterns have changed in past years due to climate change, as the warming Arabian Sea drives more cyclones and more intense rainfall over short periods of time.

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Associated Press writer Ashwini Bhatia contributed to this report from Dharmsala, India.