This is the stunning moment Indian officials block traffic moments before a landslide struck a highway.

For the irritated commuters on National Highway 5, who were stopped by the officials near Bhavnagar in Kinnaur district of northern India, it turned out to be a close call.

Raman Singh, a truck driver, said: “Officials stopped traffic as a precautionary measure. A few moments later the mountain came crashing down.”

Eyewitnesses said a group of men who had ventured a little ahead to take a look missed the landslide by a few inches.

While landslides are common in Kinnaur district, district officials were on alert after a low intensity earthquake struck the region at 12 noon on the afternoon of March 8.

The 2.8 magnitude earthquake’s epicentre was at a depth of 10 km northeast in Kinnaur.

“While the quake did not cause any damage, we feared that it may trigger landslides. So we kept a close watch,” said an official.