SHIMLA: At least eight houses, including six makeshift ones, were razed to the ground and a slaughterhouse was buried under debris in a landslide in Krishnanagar locality here on Tuesday evening.
Two persons are feared trapped under the rubble of the houses, officials said.
The uprooting of a large tree caused a landslip leading to the collapse of a cluster of houses with deafening noise.
At least two persons are feared trapped and the possibility of more people under the debris cannot be ruled out, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi told PTI.
Cracks had developed in some houses in the morning following which most of the residents vacated them, the officials said.
Local councillor Bittu Panna said at least two persons who were inside the slaughterhouse are feared trapped under the debris.
Videos of people in nearby houses screaming and telling the inmates to leave immediately were circulated on social media.
Heart-wrenching scenes of people calling for help and running for safety were witnessed at the site.
As the police, State Disaster Response Force and locals started rescue operations, several residents in the nearby houses ran out with their belongings.
"My husband is trapped in the debris," a wailing woman who rushed to the spot after hearing the loud sound of slide told PTI.
Atma Ram, an employee of the slaughterhouse, said that his manager is feared trapped under the debris. At the time of construction of this slaughterhouse, there were slides and houses were vacated.
Even after the construction of retaining walls, there was seepage the problem persist, an eyewitness of the incident Amit told the PTI.
He said that at least 15 families have been rendered homeless after the incident.
On Monday, two landslides took place in Shimla, one at a Shiva temple in Summer Hill and the other at Fagli, which claimed 16 lives.
Heavy rains battered Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, triggering landslides and cloudbursts that blocked several roads and led to house collapse incidents.