50 killed in landslide in India

Indian rescue workers including contingents of army and disaster response force personnel on Sunday pulled out 45 bodies from the debris of landslide that buried two buses in northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

The landslide hit two passenger buses early on Sunday in Urla village of Mandi district, about 177 km north of Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh.

"So far we have retrieved 45 bodies from the debris," Sandeep Kadam, deputy commissioner of Mandi told Xinhua over telephone. "The search operation is underway to trace more bodies."

The landslide triggered by heavy rains buried part of a highway known as Pathankot-Mandi, trapping two buses, two cars and a motorbike, officials said.

Reports said the landslide drifted boulders and rocks that hit the buses and pushed one of them into a deep gorge.

Despite intermittent rain, the rescuers pressed in and used shovels and bare hands to remove rocks, boulders and debris covering the buses. The men pulled out bodies trapped inside and carried them to morgue.

"The bodies have been kept in a nearby hospital and the administration is trying to identify them," a health official said.

Authorities fear more bodies might be buried in the debris.

So far it was not clearly known how many people were traveling in the buses.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the deaths.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to landslide related accidents in (Himachal Pradesh's) Mandi district. My condolences with the families of the deceased," Modi said.

Many houses were washed away in the overnight rain that hit the mountainous district.

The state's Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh visited the spot to oversee rescue work that was going on until late, officials said.

The government has also announced a financial assistance of 7,795 U.S. dollars for the families that have lost their members in the accident.

Authorities have closed the highway in wake of the washing away of the road and hundreds of vehicles were stranded on either side, officials said.

Himachal Pradesh has a rugged terrain. Landslides are often triggered from its mountains during frequent rains.