300 people, including 45 IIT students, stranded in HP are safe: Himachal CM

ANI photo

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday confirmed that all the people who are stranded in Lahaul-Spiti due to heavy snowfall are safe. More than 300 people are stranded in the area, he added.

The Chief Minister further said that he has spoken to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Home Minister Rajnath Singh who have assured him of all possible help. Also, he has requested for two choppers to carry out the rescue operations.

More than 300 people are stranded in Lahaul-Spiti due to heavy snowfall, all of them are safe, they'll be rescued soon. We have requested for 2 choppers for rescue operations. I have spoken to both the Defence&Home Minister who have assured us of all possible help: HP CM Thakur pic.twitter.com/8BngvRuZ8n — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2018

Himachal Pradesh has been reeling under heavy showers since the last few days. Landslides were reported in several parts of the state with many roads getting blocked. Rivers in the state were flowing at danger levels with authorities on high alert.

Earlier in the day, Thakur informed that the group of 50 trekkers including 35 IIT Roorkee students, who reportedly went missing in Lahul Spiti, were also safe.

The stranded people were being provided shelter and food by the district administration.

Thakur will visit Lahaul-Spiti district later in the day to take stock of the situation arisen out of recent snowfall.

Thakur was undertaking an aerial survey of several rain-hit areas of the state including those in Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti district to get first-hand information of the situation, a state spokesperson said.

The Lahaul and Spiti district witnessed about four feet snowfall till Monday, as a result, the Rohtang Pass and several inner roads blocked.

The border road organisation (BRO) has cleared about six-km-long Keylong-Stingri road and work is on to clear other blocked inner roads. 

Apart of truckers and tourists, several personnel of General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) have also been reportedly stranded at various stations in the district, the SDM said, adding the exact number of stranded people was not clear yet.

(With inputs from PTI)