Landslide near Shoghi blocks Shimla-Kalka national highway

The Shimla-Kalka national highway was blocked for almost 14 hours due to a massive landslide near Shoghi, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded on either side of the blockade.

The landslide occurred around 5 am and normal supply of newspapers, milk, bread, vegetables and other daily need goods was delayed as traffic was diverted via Shoghi-<g data-gr-id="17">Mehali</g> bypass.

A huge lock measuring over 100 ft in length fell and the entire road was buried under the debris, <g data-gr-id="22">but fortunately</g> no one was hit by the shooting boulders.

The vehicles were diverted via Shoghi <g data-gr-id="24">bypass</g> but it was also crowded due to heavy rush of vehicles, including apple-laden truck and tourist vehicles causing frequent traffic jams.

The Public Works department has deployed heavy machinery and huge labour force to clear the <g data-gr-id="26">debris</g> but the rock was very solid and engineers had to resort to blasting to break the rock, said Mahesh Singal, Superintending Engineer (National Highway), who is on the spot since Saturday morning.

A large number of tourists remained stranded for hours and diverted the route as the road was not opened till this evening.