At least 31 people were killed in separate accidents in two Indian mountain states on Sunday, police said. Officials said 15 people, including seven women, were buried alive by landslides triggered by heavy overnight rain in Arunachal Pradesh state early on Sunday. "So far 15 bodies have been recovered and we are getting more reports of fresh landslides from far flung areas," Bidol Tayeng, a senior government official, said from Itanagar, capital of the mountainous state bordering China. Several vehicles were also washed away by huge mudslides in and around Itanagar, officials said. Roads have been blocked by falling debris, hampering movement of rescue workers, they added. In the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, at least 16 people were killed when the bus they were travelling in plunged into a gorge on Sunday, R.M. Sharma, a senior police officer, told reporters. "We have shifted six injured people to a hospital and are looking for more survivors," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. Landslides and accidents during monsoon season are common in India's mountain states.
