The death toll from a landslide that hit a private bus in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, India, has risen to 15, with one child still reported missing, officials and police said on Wednesday (Oct 8). Two children were injured in the accident, which occurred on Tuesday evening, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Assistant Commandant Karam Singh told news agency ANI.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri confirmed in a post on X that among the deceased were nine men, four women, and two children, while rescue efforts continue to locate the missing child. ANI footage showed the bus reduced to a mangled wreck on a mountain road as rescuers worked through the debris to reach all 18 passengers affected by the landslide. Other visuals from the site showed teams using heavy machinery to remove earth and digging through mud-soaked belongings.

Senior police officer Sandeep Dhawal told ANI that continuous rain over the past two days was the main cause of the tragedy. The region has seen widespread flooding and landslides this week due to heavy rainfall. In West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, at least 23 people have died, while neighboring Nepal has reported 50 fatalities as floods and landslides swept away homes and roads.