Over 450 tourists remain stranded for hours on Manali-Leh highway
Two buses, carrying tourists from Madhya Pradesh, were trapped in muck at Pagal Nullah, 87 kilometres from Manali town.
As many as 450 tourists, on their way to Leh Ladakh, were caught in flash floods on the Manali-Leh highway after landslides and rising water level led to its closure.
Many vehicles were stuck between Petseo and Zingzingbar – 170km from Manali — where landslides blocked the road.
Two buses, carrying tourists hailing from Madhya Pradesh, were trapped in muck at the seasonal rivulet -Pagal Nullah, 87 kilometres from Manali town. Drivers said it was difficult for them to negotiate roads after the highway was inundated. The water level started rising again at midnight when the tourist vehicles were crossing Pagal Nullah. The drivers said they could not asses the situation and attempted to drive through waterlogged road. Consequently, the vehicles were trapped in muck.
The trapped vehicles resulted in long queues of tourist and army vehicles that were on their way to Leh. Traffic was thrown open after the Border Road Organisation, responsible for maintaining border roads, sent its machinery for clearing the road.
BRO official Col AK Awasthi said the road was blocked at 10pm on Tuesday. “Machinery and 50 labourers were pressed in to open the blocked patch and around 3.30pm on Wednesday. Road has been made through for vehicular traffic,” he said.
Rain lashes several parts of the state
Rain lashed different parts of Himachal Pradesh (HP), including Shimla. According to the meteorological centre, monsoon is likely to reach the state in the first week of July.
Meteorological centre Shimla has forecast heavy rainfall in some parts of the state and also issued a warning. “Heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorm, is likely to occur in many places of lower and mid reaches of the state,” said Shimla Met centre director Manmohan Singh. “We have issued warning of heavy rainfall for the next 24 hours,” he added.
Shimla recorded minimum temperature of 17°C, Dharamsala - 18.2 °C, and 13.2°C was the minimum temperature recorded in Manali.