Tragic Shiv Bawdi Temple Landslide: Search Operation Continues, 17 Bodies Recovered

Shimla, August 19: The search and rescue operation continued on Saturday for the sixth day to recover the missing individuals from the devastated Shiv Bawdi Temple in the town of Summer Hill, Shimla’s capital. The temple was destroyed due to a landslide. A joint operation involving the Army, NDRF, SDRF, police, and home guards retrieved another body from the debris during the search.

The deceased has been identified as Eesh Sharma (28), the son of P.L. Sharma. P.L. Sharma was a professor at Himachal Pradesh University. Tragically, both his parents lost their lives in the same incident. The bodies of these two individuals were already recovered earlier. Originally hailing from Bilaspur district, the family had come to the temple for performing a Jalabhishek (water offering ritual) when the entire temple was engulfed by the landslide.

This incident has resulted in a total of 17 bodies, including the temple priest, being recovered so far. The search and relief teams are now focusing on searching for missing individuals in the stream below the incident site. Shockingly, several bodies are found buried several feet deep in the debris.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjay Gandhi of Shimla stated that the search and rescue team members are working with great courage and determination. The bodies are being carefully extracted from the debris, located six to seven feet below the surface. Seventeen bodies have been recovered up until now. As per the missing reports, three to four people are still unaccounted for in the debris. He appealed to the public to inform the police if they have any information about missing individuals following the incidents.