Landslide cuts vital Indian transportation route near Chinese border

A landslide hit the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, April 25, wiping out a large part of the vital highway that connects Dibang Valley to the rest of the country.

Furthermore, according to Pema Khandu, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, the damaged part of National Highway-313 is located between Hunli and Anini.

The landslide has been linked to very heavy rainfall that the area had experienced prior to the event, while it is estimated that repair work on the washed away NH-313 part will take about three days.

National Highway-313 is important not only because it is the only route between the Dibang Valley and the rest of India, but also because of the valley’s location next to the Chinese border.

More specifically, China claims the Indian Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, while last month the US expressed their recognition of the state as part of India.

Finally, according to a recent Facebook post of PRD Dibang Valley, multiple more landslides took place along NH-313 between Anini to Hunli, where the road has been washed out at 5 locations in total.