Massive landslide hits national highway near Shimla, several vehicles buried

SHIMLA: A massive landslide at Dhalli in Shimla buried half a dozen vehicles under the debris besides damaging a temple and several houses on Saturday afternoon.No loss of life was reported as administration had already stopped the traffic flow on both sides of slide point anticipating the landslide.Shimla has been witnessing heavy rainfall since Friday morning which triggered the landslide at Dhalli.Sources said that around 15-20 minutes before the main slide, boulders had started hurtling down from the hillock. An alert administration stopped vehicular traffic on the road after the state has witnessed several landslides of late.A mound of debris gathered on the road following which traffic was diverted from Shimla and nearby destinations via Sanjauli.A local resident Bhawani Singh said that it was around 2 pm when huge mound from the hillock hit the road and blocked the Malyana-Dhalli road. He said that while some vehicles were swept away, some were buried under the debris that also spilled inside a temple and nearby houses.After receiving the information about the landslide, officials from district administration, police and fire department reached at the spot and started clearing the debris from the road.