Shimla temple collapse: Three still missing

Shimla, August 20

An additional unit of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has joined the rescue teams to expedite the search and rescue operation at Summer Hill. According to the officials, the team has been summoned to expedite the rescue operation in view of the forecast for increase in rainfall activity from tomorrow. The Army, National Disaster Response Force and SDRF have been looking for missing people since Monday, when the tragedy struck.

Out of the total 20 missing persons, as claimed by the local residents, 17 bodies have been recovered so far. On Sunday, the rescue teams could not recover any body from the rubble despite their best efforts.

Local councillor Virender Thakur said that effort would be made to take a bigger earth moving machine to the site on Monday as the last ditch effort to find the remaining three bodies. “There’s a forecast for rain over the next few days. So we don’t have time to carry on the search manually now,” said Thakur.