Rescuers pull out 6 bodies after landslide hits north India

DHARAMSALA, India (AP) - Army soldiers and rescue workers on Sunday pulled out six bodies from two buses that were covered in mud after a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rain in north India.

The landslide that occurred early Sunday in Urla village in Himachal Pradesh state buried part of a highway, trapping two buses and at least three cars, said district official Sandeep Kadam.

Soldiers used shovels and pickaxes to remove rocks, boulders and mud that covered the buses and pull out the bodies.

It was not immediately clear how many people were traveling in the buses, Kadam said.

Several houses were washed away in the torrential rain that hit the Mandi region in the Himalayan foothills.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

The area around the village has been deforested extensively, increasing its vulnerability to landslides. Similar deforestation and environmental damage have caused floods and landslides in other parts of India.