Snowfall in Himachal: Tourists rescued, stranded vehicles moved to safer areas

Shimla: Five tourists from Delhi trapped in heavy snowfall in Lahaul and Spiti were rescued, while over 500 vehicles stranded between Atal Tunnel Rohtang and Dhundi in Himachal Pradesh have been moved to safer places, police said on Tuesday.

The vehicles started skidding on the road on Monday following heavy snowfall. The Kullu district police supervised the rescue operation on Monday night as temperatures dropped significantly.

The commuters were advised not to apply brakes and asked to move at a snail's pace in first gear to avoid skidding, Deputy Superintendent of Police K D Sharma, who supervised the rescue operation on Monday night, said.

The Lahaul and Spiti Police on Monday evening rescued five tourists from Delhi whose SUV was trapped in Kaumik near Kaza following heavy snowfall in the region.

The police party rescued these people with the help of Taxi Union Kaza and arranged accommodation for their stay. The tourist had called 112 helpline and sought help, officials said.

A total of 14 roads, including two national highways, have been closed for traffic in Himachal Pradesh following heavy snowfall, an official said on Monday.

The roads include stretches between the North portal of Atal Tunnel to Darcha (National Highway 3), Darcha to Shinkula to Zanksar, Koksar to Losar (National Highway 5) and Tandi to Kadhu Nullah.

Of the closed 14 roads, six are in Lahaul and Spiti district, four in Kullu and the rest in other parts of the state, according to the emergency operation centre.

According to the weather department, while Gondla and Keylong received 9.2 and 4 cm of snowfall, respectively, Lahaul Spiti along with some other places received 5 to 10 cm of snow, making the roads slippery.