6,000 stranded tourists evacuated from Atal Tunnel
The upper reaches of the state have been experiencing intermittent spells for the last 24 hours while rains and hailstorms lashed the lower regions
Nearly 6,000 tourists were stranded at the South portal of the Strategic Atal Tunnel connecting tribal Lahaul and Spiti districts to Kullu district.
As many as 1,000 tourist vehicles were stuck in snow-laden roads at Dhundhi due to fresh snowfall. The upper reaches of the state have been experiencing intermittent spells for the last 24 hours while rains and hailstorms lashed the lower regions. The local administration and the police with the help of locals launched operations to evacuate the stranded tourist. “Nearly 1000 vehicles were stranded on the snow-laden road ahead of the south portal Atal tunnel. So far the 600 vehicles have been brought safely to Manali, palchan, and Solang “said the Deputy Superintendent of Police K.D Sharma. The fresh snowfall in the higher hills has brought a decline in the mercury level across the state “All the tourists are safe and evacuation is continuing “said he. The snow in the higher reaches has brought down temperatures drastically. Keylong the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti recorded a 2.5-degree temperature while Dhaulakuan in the Sirmaur district was recorded at 32.9 degrees Celsius.
In the wake of the persistent inclement weather in Himachal Pradesh, the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert in the state for Tuesday, with an expectation of weather improvement thereafter.
The weather office has forecast light to moderate precipitation in many areas, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 km) in Solan, Bilaspur, Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur and Una districts. Additionally, rainfall is expected at numerous places in Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Kinnaur.
On Monday morning, Shimla, the capital city, experienced fresh rainfall, with reports of rainfall in other parts of the state, including Kangra. Significant rainfall was recorded at several locations: 11.0 mm in Chamba, followed by 7.8 mm in Seobagh, 4.0 mm each in Tissa and Bharmour, 3.00 mm in Dalhousie, and 2.4 mm in Jot. Manali recorded 2.0 mm of rainfall, while Kukumseri witnessed 1.6 mm.
Meanwhile, a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to impact the Western Himalayan Region from May 4 onwards, prompting a yellow alert for May 4 and 5 in the state.
