A major landslide was reported at the famous Sikh shrine Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
At least ten people have died after boulders fell on the Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib building due to the landslide.
Some people are also feared to be trapped under the boulders, which are being removed to save precious lives.
Seven dead bodies have been recovered so far and the relief and rescue operation is underway.
Local residents, devotees present in the Gurdwara and government officials are involved in the rescue operation.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the dead could be more than ten in number as a large number of people had taken shelter in the building, close to the Gurdwara, when the tragedy struck.
The district administration has sought the assistance of the Gurdwara authorities for locating and identifying the bodies as most people staying in the building were outsiders.
People ran helter-skelter as boulders fell on the building and many were trapped as a huge portion of the three-storey building virtually collapsed.
The locals and the Gurdwara management immediately swung into action and started rescue operations while Additional District Magistrate, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Kullu and other district officials rushed to the spot.
Gurdwara Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, also called as ‘Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib’ is situated in Manikaran, in Kullu District.
Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs, visited this place to spend time in meditation. A gurdwara that was built to commemorate his visit, is now a place of pilgrimage for the Sikhs.
