Manhunt continues to evacuate 300 stranded tourists in unseasonal snowfall at Lahaul Spiti
Manhunt continues to evacuate 300 Tourists at 14100 ft Chandertal glacial lake of Spiti valley of Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh who are stranded after unseasonal snowfall since July 9.
Deputy Commissioner District Lahaul Spiti Rahul Kumar informed on Monday evening that 300 people are stranded in Chandratal and would be rescued on Tuesday morning today) as soon as the weather clears.
Among the victims of unseasonal weather who would be evacuated today are 262 people from other state are included similarly foreign nationals. Among the foreigner, two belong to Ireland, and one is from the USA.
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar told that all these people are safe. District Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhry succeed to trace the camping site of stranded Tourists on July 9, 2024, as a police party including some mountaineers succeeded to establish contact with them.
The rescue operation started at 0500 hrs on Tuesday to bring down the trapped People from Chandertal. The first team left for Chandertal from Losar with machinery last evening while the second team headed by ADC Rahul Jain left from Kaza this morning. The team opened the 13 km road on the first day. The rescue was stopped last night as it continued snowing in the area.
A rescue team of about 40 people including youths from Pangmo and Losar villages besides youths from other villages of Spiti.
According to Kaza-based Public Relations Department spokesperson Ajay Banyal, the snowbound road to be opened from Kunzum Top to Chandertal from four kilometers behind as 30 kilometers leading to the lake blocked by snow. He said that the administration has involved Members of the Spiti Administration, ITBP, BRO, and Police in the rescue team.
He said that 300 Tourist was traced in the Snowfall at the camping site on Sunday evening but since it was snowing heavily administration continue asked the victim to stay safely in the campsite after providing food and communication facilities for them to speak to their relatives.
Mr. Banayal said that due to no mobile signal at the tourist destination tourist as well as rescue team could not connect.
Officiating state DGP Satwant Atwal also informed on Sunday that two hundred Tourists who are camping at Chandertal Lake in the Lahaul-Spiti district in inclement weather conditions were rescued and kept in a safer place.
SP said that due to poor telephone signal Tourists are not able to call their family members therefore police asked the camping party to ensure that family members of stranded tourists be made call that all of them are safe and being evucated soon.
Moreover, the rescue team and camping party have made arraignments of safe shelter and food for all standard people and all are safe and to be brought down shortly.
Down to Earth a Nature and Environment Magzine reported that the Lahaul-Spiti district received 3640 percent excess rain and snowfall on July 9 and the state got 1193 pc excess precipitation.
The magazine claimed that 13500 fr high Losar village received snowfall for the first time in July. The district received 112.2 millimeters ( mm ) of rain on July 9, compared to the 3 mm it should have received.
The last time a record was broken in the area was in 1951 when Lahaul-Spiti recorded 73 mm of rainfall in 24 hours. Usually, Lahaul-Spiti receives 131.5 mm of rainfall in the month of July.
DTE warned that unprecedented rainfall in the district consider one of three cold deserts of the country is something that has added to the concerns of climate experts.
