The rescue operations are underway. Two siblings, Arushi and Shaurya, are among those rescued.
#WATCH | Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh | Wreckage of the private bus that was caught in a landslide in the Balurghat area of the Jhanduta sub-division last
evening, which resulted in the death of 15 passengers. pic.twitter.com/a3W2CYZjZ2
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2025
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "The death toll in the incident has risen to 16. Two children have been rescued. This is a very sad incident. An announcement has been made to give ₹4 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased."
The incident happened around 6:50 pm on October 7 in the Bhalughat area near Berthin when a huge portion of a mountain gave way and fell on the bus carrying about 25 passengers. The bus was on its way to Ghumarwin from Marotan.
Assistant Commandant, NDRF, Karam Singh told ANI, "The incident occurred around 6:50 pm. About 18 people were travelling in the bus. 15 bodies have already been recovered, 2 live victims may be retrieved and as per local authority, one more victim is still missing; our operation will continue until we find the person."
Pawan Sharma, a resident, told ANI, "We were discussing yesterday that this point is really bad. A landslide occurred here a week ago. The department cleared the debris just a little and let everything else remain there. The bus used to leave from Malari for Marotan every day at 8:45 am. It used to ply twice a day. Thankfully, it wasn't raining at the time and the bodies could be recovered by 1:30 am."
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were among the leaders who condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
Modi announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured would get ₹50,000. "Saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," Modi wrote on X.
