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6 days after reported missing in Lahaul Spiti, 35 IIT students traced, says Himachal official
The IIT students, along with 10 others, were on a trekking expedition to Hampta pass, a crossover mountain pass from Manali to Chhatru in Lahaul-Spiti district.
The 35 IIT-Roorkee students, who were reported missing in snow-hit Lahaul Spiti, have been traced and are safe in Sissu village, three hours from Manali, officials said.
The students, along with 10 others, were on a trekking expedition to Hampta pass, a crossover mountain pass from Manali to Chhatru in Lahaul-Spiti district.
The group was last seen on September 19 by a villager near Manali, and since then there was no communication.
They had reportedly reached Chandertal lake and were on return journey when it began to snow on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Lahaul-Spiti administration is also trying to locate the nine researchers from Kolkata who have been stranded somewhere near the 5480-meter high Gangstang Glacier. Five students from IIT Mandi are also stranded in Chandertal area of Lahaul-Spiti district.
Meanwhile, the operation to rescue locals and tourist stranded at Koksar is likely to be launched soon. The rescue will take place through Rohtang Tunnel and snow clearing operation in Sissu has started.
Twenty-five people have died in flashfloods, landslides, roof-collapse and other incidents triggered by incessant rain in the region. Eight deaths have been reported from Himachal Pradesh, seven from J&K, six from Punjab, and four from Haryana.
A high alert has been sounded in the worst-hit Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Heavy landslides hit vehicular movement on the Chandigarh-Manali highway beyond Mandi town and on the Pathankot-Chamba highway.
