Stranded due to snowfall, 800 tourists rescued from Lahaul
About 800 tourists stranded in 489 vehicles due to snowfall between Jispa and Sissu in Lahaul and Spiti district were rescued by the district administration, police, BRO, DDMA and the Public Works Department (PWD) in an about five-hour-long operation last night. The road had become slippery due to snowfall and many vehicles collided with each other after skidding, causing traffic jams. The rescue teams evacuated the stranded persons to safety and provided them with boarding and lodging.
Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chaudhary said that vehicles were stuck at the Khangsar point, between the Ghepan temple and Sissu and Gondhla. He added that the weather turned adverse in the afternoon and the police guided tourists when they reached Lahaul after crossing the Atal Tunnel.
He said, “Tourists were appealed not to go too far and return before heavy snowfall. I appreciate the bravery of all members involved in the rescue operation and thank the volunteers of the Lahaul Ecotourism Society for their invaluable support and cooperation.”
The SP said that one person was killed, while three others were injured when a car carrying five persons from New Delhi collided with a tipper on the slippery road due to rash driving near the north portal of the Atal Tunnel. He added that the deceased was identified as Bhisham Garg (49) of New Delhi; he was the owner of the car.
The SP said that the injured were undergoing treatment at the Manali hospital. He appealed to the tourists to travel only after knowing the weather conditions, following the police advisories and contacting the DDMA.
Meanwhile, tourists, who came to visit the Lahaul valley at the weekend, had a lot of fun amidst the snowfall. The south portal of the Atal Tunnel and Solang Nala wore a white mantle. Snowfall had also turned white the Seven Sister Peak, Manali Peak, Ghepan Peak, Deo Tibba, Hanuman Tibba and other peaks around Manali and Lahaul. Due to this, the entire valley came under the grip of intense cold conditions.
The tourists had a gala time at Solang Nala. Vehicles were not allowed to cross the south portal of the Atal Tunnel. It snowed till Palchan near Manali and tourism businessmen were now hopeful of having a white Christmas, which draws a lot of tourists.
Tourism businessmen Raju and Raghu Chhewang said that snowfall had occurred in Lahaul twice during this season so far but it was not much. Snowfall in the coming days would give a boost to the tourism business, they added.
