15 killed as landslide hits bus in India

At least 15 people were killed late Tuesday when debris from a massive landslide struck a passenger bus in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, local authorities confirmed.

The incident occurred near Bilaspur district, a hilly area that has been battered by continuous torrential rains since Monday. The bus, carrying between 20 and 25 passengers, was travelling through the mountainous stretch when it was hit by the landslide.

According to police, the victims included nine men, four women, and two children. Three other children were rescued alive and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, according to a statement from the office of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the state’s chief minister.

Rescue teams continued operations on Wednesday, but officials fear more passengers may be buried under the debris and are presumed dead.

Heavy and persistent rainfall has rendered the already fragile slopes in the region increasingly unstable, raising the risk of further landslides.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered their condolences to the families of the victims and expressed grief over the tragedy.

This deadly incident is the latest in a series of extreme weather events to hit South Asia this year. The region — which includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and the Maldives — has been grappling with worsening floods and landslides fueled by intensified monsoon patterns.

In August, flash floods in Uttarakhand, another northern Indian state, wiped out an entire village. Just last weekend, at least 44 people were killed in Nepal as severe rain triggered mudslides and flooding, submerging parts of the capital Kathmandu and forcing the cancellation of all domestic flights on Saturday.

Scientists warn that human-driven climate change is making South Asia’s monsoon seasons increasingly erratic and intense. Traditionally running from June to September, and again from October to December, the monsoons now often bring sudden, extreme downpours followed by unexpected dry spells — overwhelming infrastructure and increasing the risk of disasters like this week’s fatal landslide.