Key Points

Vipin Kumar's wife Anjana, seven-year-old son Naksh, four-year-old Aarav, and his brother Rajkumar's wife Kamlesh, all from Fagog village, died in the tragic accident.

The last rites of all four members of the family were performed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a function was held at Kamlesh's maternal home in Kainchi Mod. Both sisters-in-law went to Kamlesh's home with their children to attend the event.

The family, returning from a joyous celebration at their maternal home, was suddenly plunged into mourning.

"The incident took the lives of two sisters-in-law and two children. They were returning from a family function. The bus met with a landslide near Barthi village. Other than them 12 others have passed away. Vipin Kumar works in the Army, and he has lost his wife and two children. One child was four years and the other was seven years old. His brother Rajkumar lost his wife," a local resident of the village said.

The death toll in Tuesday's bus accident in Bilaspur, caused by a sudden landslide, has gone up to 16 with the body of the missing child found on Wednesday.

The landslide, which struck a private bus, occurred yesterday evening at around 6:40 pm in Jhandutta tehsil, Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh. The bus was plying on the Marotan-Ghumarwin route.

The passengers killed included 11 men, four women and a child, officials said.Two children sustained minor injuries in the incident and were treated at AIIMS Bilaspur. They were discharged early this morning, officials said.

Rescue operations, which were halted around 2:30 am due to rain and sliding, resumed at 6:40 am.

ADC Bilaspur, SP Bilaspur, and SDM Jhandutta are present at the site and supervising search, relief, and recovery operations along with NDRF, QRT, and HHG teams, officials said. More doctors have been deputed by the CMO Bilaspur.

The bodies of the deceased have been identified and handed over to their respective families. Immediate relief of Rs 25,000 each has been provided to the next of kin. Further assistance under SDRF norms is being processed, officials said.

Bilaspur SP Sandeep Dhawal said local residents assisted in saving the two children."Upon receiving information about this incident, we dispatched our police rescue team, Home Guard rescue team, and fire department vehicles to the scene. Local people provided a great deal of assistance in this incident and saved two children," he said.

The incident occurred when the private bus, carrying passengers through the hilly stretch, was suddenly struck by falling debris following heavy rains in the region. Local administration, police, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams rushed to the spot to carry out rescue operations.

- ANI