5 killed as landslide debris hits car in India's Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Five people travelling in a car were killed after being hit by landslide debris in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, police said Saturday.

The debris buried the car near Phata in Rudraprayag district about 230 km east of Dehradun.

According to police, the victims were pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath temple.

Police officials said they believe that the car might have been hit by a landslide on Thursday night.

Reports said no sooner than the information about the incident was received, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a rescue operation. However, the efforts were hampered by the heavy downpour in the area.

Three of the deceased have been identified as residents from India's western state of Gujarat and two others are said to be locals hailing from Haridwar.

A massive landslide hit Gaurikund earlier this month. According to officials, 16 people are still missing in the landslide.