Bystanders watch the wreckage of a vehicle after boulders fell on it from a hillside in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, on July 24, 2026. Photo: PTI
13, including 6-month-old, killed as huge boulders crush moving SUV in Himachal
The tragedy occurred when falling rocks struck the vehicle and set it ablaze near Kadu nallah; two passengers survived by jumping out
Thirteen lives, including that of a six-month-old infant, were lost on Friday (July 24) when massive boulders crashed onto a taxi on the Udaipur-Pangi road in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district on Friday, police said. The SUV, carrying 15 people from Kullu to Killar, was crushed near Kadu nallah, and its rear section caught fire on impact. Two survived.
Bystanders and Army personnel immediately tried to extinguish the flames. Videos of the incident were also doing rounds on social media, showing the vehicle almost flattened and engulfed in fire.
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Police and relief teams were dispatched to the site after the authorities were alerted. The administration is closely monitoring the situation, police said. A JCB was brought to clear the debris and the vehicle wreckage.
CM seeks immediate action, condoles deaths
Kiran Badana, deputy commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti, confirmed to news agency PTI that 13 people have died in the accident. He was asked by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to immediately reach the site and supervise the rescue and relief operations.
Sukhu condoled the deaths and directed that all possible assistance be provided to the next of kin of the deceased. He also told authorities to provide the best treatment to the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
Janak Raj, MLA of the hill state’s Bharmour district, told PTI that all but two individuals, who jumped out of the vehicle, were killed in the tragedy.
He urged the deputy commissioners of Chamba, which is closer to the accident site, and Lahaul-Spiti to expedite relief and rescue operations.
Ill-fated taxi passengers were stranded
According to the preliminary information, the passengers had been stranded at Tindi village in Lahaul and Spiti district because the Udaipur-Killar road was closed the previous day. They set off for Pangi on Friday after the road reopened. Their identities have not yet been officially confirmed.
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In a separate incident, a woman died, and seven people were injured in a landslide in the Gumma area of Jogindernagar in Mandi district of the state. Incidents of landslides are on the rise across the state due to continuous rainfall in recent days.
(With agency inputs)