国际英语新闻:7 killed in landslide at temple in northern India

NEW DELHI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and nine injured on Tuesday when stones and debris from a hill rolled down and damaged part of a Sikh temple's residential complex in northern India, said police.

The incident took place at Manikaran in Kullu district of the Himachal Pradesh state, said Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar in Kullu.

A mound of stones and debris from the hill atop the eight-story residential complex got dislodged due to heavy rains and struck the temple around 2:00 p.m. local time (0830 GMT), he said.

The casualties could rise as some people are still trapped inside debris of the complex, and at least four stories of building were damaged, said police.

The temple, Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib in Parvati valley of Kullu district, suffered a small landslide in fact, said police.

According to local residents, the entire mountain face lost strata and was sliding slowly, said local TV channel Times Now.

Manikaran, located some 45 km from district headquarters Kullu, is a pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikh people.

Hundreds of Sikh pilgrims visit Manikaran every day while the site has emerged as a famous tourist destination because of its mountainous scenes.