Snow chaos in Himachal: Hundreds stranded in Atal tunnel as heavy snowfall disrupts traffic

Manali (The Uttam Hindu) : Following a sudden change in weather in Himachal Pradesh, heavy snowfall is occurring in the tourist areas of Lahaul-Spiti and Manali. Snowfall near the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang has stranded more than 800 tourist vehicles. According to reports, tourists have been stranded within a 12-kilometer radius of the tunnel since Sunday evening.

Heavy snowfall caused thick ice to accumulate on the roads, causing vehicles to skid and many vehicles to lose control. The situation became so severe that many tourists had to spend the entire night in their vehicles.

Nearly 70 percent of the people have been safely evacuated

Nearly a foot of snow has accumulated near the Atal Tunnel. According to the administration, by Monday afternoon, approximately 70 percent of the tourists had been safely transported to Manali using four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicles. Rescue operations are underway to evacuate the remaining approximately 30 percent.

Police and administration remained on site throughout the night

DSP Manali KD Sharma and his team remained on site throughout the night. SDM Manali Raman Kumar also returned to the scene around 4 a.m. and supervised the rescue operations.

Relief supplies provided to tourists

The administration provided relief supplies such as water, juice, and fruit to those stranded in the snow. Police, administration, and Border Roads Organization (BRO) teams remained on site during the rescue operation.

BRO begins snow removal work

BRO machinery and workers have been deployed to clear the snow from the road. Efforts are being made to melt the snow on the road using belt machines and urea fertilizer, so that traffic can be restored as soon as possible. The administration has appealed to tourists to travel to hilly areas only after considering the weather conditions.