Day after Himachal landslide, 70 tourists stranded at village on China border
Road to Chitkul, the last inhabited village on the Indo-Tibetan border, has been closed due to the threat of shooting stones; flash flood at Sangla but no loss of life reported
A day after nine tourists were killed when boulders fell on their minibus in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, the 23-km stretch from Sangla to Chitkul near the China border has been closed, leaving 70 tourists stranded at Chitkul.
“The stretch is prone to shooting stones. We have closed the road for the time-being. Efforts are on to evacuate the stranded tourists. They are safe but their evacuation will depend on the weather,” Kinnaur deputy commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said.
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Meanwhile, the bodies of the nine tourists killed in Sunday’s landslide were sent to Delhi on Monday morning.
Chitkul is the last inhabited village on the Indo-Tibetan border and is located along the Baspa river. It is the last point in India where one can travel without a permit.
Another landslide damaged the road at Mane Demul in Lahaul and Spiti district. “Restoration work is on,” state disaster management authority director Sudesh Mokta said.
A flash flood occurred in Tongtogche Nullah near Sangla village. No loss of life or property was reported.
State director general of police Sanjay Kundu issued an advisory, asking tourists not to venture near water bodies in the monsoon. He reminded that 156 people have lost their lives due to drowning in the state since 2020.
