Lahaul Spiti (Himachal Pradesh): Five tourists remained trapped inside an avalanche for seven hours in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti on Friday.
Even though the weather conditions improved after the continuous rains and snowfall, an iceberg slid from the hills near the temple, located three km away from Udaipur side, leaving five persons trapped. Due to absence of mobile signal, the tourists were unable to contact anyone. After remaining trapped for seven hours, they finally managed to catch mobile phone signal and contacted people in Udaipur for help.
Local people reached near the avalanche and with the help of ladders, pulled the tourists to the other side of the road. Among the stranded tourists include two from Salagra and three from Ghari village of Mayad Valley.
Several roads have been closed due to avalanches and landslides in the district for the last few days. Many tourists who were stranded due to heavy snowfall had to be relocated to hotels in the district.
Although some roads were opened initially, most had to be closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall and downpour. Also, the road restoration work that was started by BRO in Lahaul valley had to be suspended due to the frequent avalanches.
Along with road blocks, mobile networks have been disrupted and people have been facing power outages. People have been asked to remain alert and inform police in case of any emergency.
Lahaul Spiti Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar said that after the sky gets clearer, there is a danger of avalanches so people should travel carefully. The roads of Lahaul valley will be opened for vehicular movement as soon as the situation permits, he added.
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