Stranded in snow, Delhi, Rajasthan tourists rescued from Hamta
January 27, 2021: Three tourists – two from Delhi and one from Rajasthan – who got lost in snow-covered jungle at Hamta above Manali on Tuesday night were rescued by the police with help of local volunteers.
Police control room received an SOS call at 112 in the night time that some tourists have lost their way back to Manali in the snow-laden forests of Hamta. A team of two cops, two home guard jawans and a volunteer driver rushed to the expected location and started combing the area with help of three local residents.
Kullu SP Gaurav Singh was quoted saying that the team searched for them at Sethan, Pandu Ropa, reservoir area and all possible locations for the whole night. “The search and rescue team successfully located them from about 2km below Sethan nullah in Hamta forest where they had stranded in the snow,” he said.
The tourists were identified as Shahid, 32, Imran Khan, 22, both residents of Karol Bagh, New Delhi and Rehan, 12, resident of Rajasthan. “They were safely dropped at their hotel in Manali. We have been repeatedly requesting tourists not go to higher regions without hiring a local guide and return back on time. Getting stranded in bone chilling cold can be fatal,” he said.
Another Avalanche hits Manali-Atal tunnel highway
Avalanches hit Manali-Atal tunnel highway
January 6, 2021: Three major avalanches have reportedly hit the Manali-Atal tunnel highway beyond Solang valley on Wednesday as the area has experienced over 90cm of snowfall in recent times. Fortunately, nobody was hurt as the highway was already blocked for all kinds of vehicular movement.
A massive avalanche, just 200m before Atal tunnel at its south portal, has covered nearly 100m stretch of the highway. There are possibilities of more avalanches in the next few days. The north portal of the tunnel has also received heavy snow in the last three days and there are strong possibilities of avalanches.
The Snow and Study Establishment (SASE) had issued an avalanche warning on Tuesday. Both ends of the tunnel are highly prone to avalanches and SASE has calculated the danger level to be high. Avalanche warning is for the whole stretch between Solang to tunnel in Manali and tunnel to Tandi and also from tunnel to Koksar in Lahaul.
A Border Roads Organisation (BRO) official said a massive avalanche has been reported at MSP-12 just next to the entry gate of the tunnel on its south side. “We are clearing the debris. The area has witnessed heavy snowfall, “he said.
The vehicular movement towards the tunnel has been stopped from both sides. The highway in Lahaul valley is completely blocked with snow and BRO has started removing snow with its snow blowers. Kullu police have stopped traffic movement at Nehru Kund, 6km from Manali.
“Tourist movement is restricted to Nehru Kund. The upper areas are getting snow. The road beyond Solang is closed. The vehicular movement will be regulated depending on weather and road condition,” Kullu SP Gaurav Singh informed public through social media.
The Manali-Atal tunnel highway will continue to be hitting by avalanches for the rest of the winter season. Tourist movement in the area will be very risky. Kullu administration has requested people, including tourists, not to go towards Atal tunnel and Solang valley. The Lahaul-Spiti administration has already ordered not to allow vehicles carrying tourists to enter Lahaul valley until prior permission from the administration is obtained.
Stranded for over 12 hours, hundreds of tourists rescued from Solang
January 6, 2021: In the second major snow rescue operation, hundreds of tourists who had stranded with children and elderly amid snowfall between Palchan and Solang valley were rescued in late-night operation that continued till Wednesday morning.
Nearly one thousand tourist vehicles, mostly registered in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and UP, got stranded between Palchan and Solang valley near here after snowfall on Tuesday. The vehicles were skidding on the highway and later they clogged the highway, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. Manali police and administration had to launch a rescue operation in the evening with the help of local volunteers.
Hundreds of tourists, sitting inside their vehicles, were waiting for help till late at night. Many of them locked the vehicles in the middle of the road and left for hotels on foot. Over 500 vehicles had stuck in parking at Solang valley and tourists were unable to tread vehicles on snow. As it was not possible to evacuate all the vehicles, tourists were asked to leave their cars. A few cars were shifted to safety and finally drove down to Manali but others remained stuck till Wednesday.
Most tourists, who had reached Solang on Tuesday morning, were transferred to their hotels at midnight or in the early morning on Wednesday. A few tourists and some drivers chose to sleep inside their luxury cars.
According to media reports, nearly 2,000 vehicles had rushed to Solang valley to enjoy snowfall on Tuesday morning. As snow started accumulating on the road surface, the vehicles started skidding on it. Over 80 per cent of the vehicles were from other states with almost no experience of driving on snow and they caused complete blockade of the road. As hours passed, snow kept piling up, other vehicles also started skidding.
An official was quoted saying that it was the result of lack of experience, confidence and now driving in lanes that resulted in this incident. “Thankfully all tourists were rescued and moved to their hotels. It took almost a whole night to help all tourists,” he said.
Kullu DC Richa Verma told the media that tourists have been requested not to go towards the Atal tunnel as it can prove fatal. “The area beyond Solang has received heavy snow. The roads are slippery. Tourists should not attempt to go beyond Palchan,” she said.
Local volunteers from “Team Raptors” saved many lives
January 6, 2021: A large number of local youth who have formed a group “Team Raptors” to learn rally driving skills from the ace rallyist Suresh Rana proved to be live-savers for hundreds of tourists on Tuesday night.
As both police and administration do not have four-wheel-drive vehicles to conduct snow rescue operations, they seek help from Team Raptors. The youths, having good experience of driving in any condition, rescue the tourists without charging a single penny. They have saved hundreds of lives during blizzards in Rohtang area and recently at Atal tunnel last Saturday. Again the team kept ferrying stranded tourists from Solang to Manali all night until all people in distress were rescued to safety.
The rescue team always remains full of enthusiasm as their guru Suresh Rana, ten-time Raid de Himalaya and many other rally winner, also accompanies them in most of their rescue operations. They had rescued over 300 tourists from Atal tunnel on Saturday and now rescued over 500 tourists from Solang area.
“It feels good when tourists give us blessings after we help them. All of us are equipped with good 4X4 vehicles. Now our group has gained a lot of experience in snow rescue. We shall be volunteering as long as it is possible for us,” Suresh Rana said.
The team members include Jony Singh, Chandan Sharma, Hitesh Sharma, Vishal Thakur, Manoj Malhotra, Vikas Kohli, Anmol, and few others. The team members wear all the expenses of the rescue operation from their own pocket.
Another team member Jony Singh said, “When we reached Solang in the nighttime, most of the tourists had locked themselves inside cars to keep them warm. The scene was disturbing as the entire highway till Solang and the parking area was full of vehicles. When we said that we have come for their help, tourists started coming out. We first helped people with children and the elderly. They gave us blessings in return.”
A large number of tourists thanked the rescuers on camera. In a similar video, a tourist from Uttarakhand can be seen saying that nobody was coming for their help as he had stranded with his family. “At least somebody should come to encourage that everything will be ok. You people have done an amazing job without expecting anything in return. We don’t have words to thank you.”
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