Earlier today, a rockfall on a mountainside in northern India killed nine tourists who were in a nearby vehicle. The incident occurred in the Sangla Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the Western Himalaya.
Footage on Twitter shows huge boulders cannonading down the steep hillside and bouncing high in the air. A metal bridge shatters as if it were made of matchsticks. At one point, the person taking the video flees deeper into the house as the missiles approach.
Insane rockfall in Northern India 🤯
Some of these boulders look to be 6-8 feet across but are being launched like pebbles. pic.twitter.com/99GukqOkGp
— Rob Bradley (@WxRobBradley) July 25, 2021
Rockfalls and landslides are increasingly common in India and the Himalaya. In February, the Chamoli disaster killed over 100 people after a glacier dam collapsed.
This latest natural disaster may have been triggered by the heavy monsoon rains. In recent days, more than 100 people have died in floods in Western India.
The victims included four women and five men. Three other tourists are believed to have been injured in this Himachal Pradesh rockfall, and an emergency relief operation is ongoing.
The aftermath. Photo: Pradeep Kumar
