One person was killed, three were injured, and five remain missing after landslides struck Kullu’s Akhada Bazar on Thursday morning. Triggered by incessant rainfall, the disaster destroyed three houses, trapping multiple people. The deceased was a resident of Kashmir, while the three injured were rushed to a hospital. So far, four people have been rescued.

An urgent search and rescue operation is being conducted by the NDRF, state police, and local volunteers, though efforts are hampered by continued rain. An NDRF team was deployed immediately as they were already at a nearby landslide site. One local resident, Abdul, stated five of his family members are still buried. The incident follows another landslide in the same area a day earlier where two people remain missing and an NDRF jawan was critically injured.

The disaster adds to a devastating monsoon season in Himachal Pradesh, which has suffered damages worth Rs 3,526 crore. The state has recorded 122 landslides, 341 deaths, and rainfall 62% above normal. Over 1,280 roads remain blocked, and thousands of power and water schemes are disrupted. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), however, predicts weather conditions will improve starting Friday.