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Himachal Pradesh: At least 300 tourists stranded due to heavy snowfall near the South Portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel in Rohtang were rescued by police on Tuesday.
Sakshi Verma, Kullu SP said,”Around 50 vehicles and one Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus got stuck near the South Portal (SP) of ATR in which 300 tourists were travelling. All tourists have been evacuated from ATR.”
After this incident, SP Kullu further said that she, along with Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manali, Tehsildar Manali, Station House Officer (SHO) Manali and team conducted a rescue operation.
According to the local meteorological department, Meanwhile, the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh are likely to witness heavy snowfall and rainfall from January 30 till February 3. The Meteorological Department has predicted snowfall in the high-altitude areas of the state and snowfall in the plains.
Sandeep Kumar Sharma Senior Scientist of IMD said.l, “During the next five or six days, right from tonight, there are possibilities of rain and snow in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh. The rain activity will start tonight. On January 31 and February 1, in the districts of Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, and Kullu, there are chances of moderate to heavy snowfall.”
He added,”We have issued an orange alert for these areas. There are chances of rain and thunderstorms with lighting activities in districts of Kangra, Bilaspur and Shimla.”
The weather department said that the lower hills and plains in the state will also witness occasional thunderstorms and lightning while isolated areas of mid and higher hills will witness gusty winds during this period.
It added that the average maximum temperatures are likely to be below normal, while minimum temperatures in low hills will be normal and below normal in mid and high hills during the period.
