Himachal Pradesh: Stranded tourists await evacuation as heavy snowfall hampers rescue efforts near Chandratal Lake

Mandi, July 12: The ongoing heavy snowfall along the route from Losar to Chandratal Lake in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti district has posed a significant challenge for the district administration in safely evacuating 293 stranded tourists from the area over the past four days.

Since Saturday, the tourists have been stranded at Chandratal due to a road blockade in the region. On Tuesday, a rescue team comprising personnel from the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), local youths, and officials, led by Kaza ADC Rahul Jain, set out from Losar towards Chandratal. However, their progress was hindered by heavy snowfall, making the Losar-Chandratal road inaccessible.

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The BRO initiated snow clearing operations on Tuesday and managed to restore only 12 kilometers of the road from Losar to Chandratal. Officials estimate that around 25 kilometers of the road is still covered with a thick blanket of snow, with reported accumulations of up to 4 feet.

Due to the freezing temperatures in the region, the BRO faced challenges in continuing the road restoration work, which resumed on Wednesday morning.

Despite the difficulties, seven critically ill tourists were successfully evacuated from Chandratal to Bhunter airport in Kullu on Tuesday, using an Indian Air Force chopper. The state government has deployed six helicopters to aid in the evacuation of stranded tourists. Officials have confirmed that all the stranded tourists at Chandratal are safe and being taken care of.

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- With inputs from agencies

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