IIT-Roorkee students rescued as 10 die of rain in Himachal Pradesh

Most of the stranded people were brought to Keylong, some 121 km from Manali, and from there would be either airlifted by the IAF or brought to Manali by road on Wednesday, an official said.

A group of 40-45 students of IIT-Roorkee, five Indian-born US nationals and two German trekkers were rescued on Tuesday from the icy heights of Himachal Pradesh as rains hit a pause button in the hill state. Skies also cleared in Punjab and Haryana that had been witnessing continuous rainfall from the past three days.

An electric pole on the bank of the swollen River Beas stands tilted after incessant rains, in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.(PTI Photo)

Two persons died when their car slipped off the road and rolled down a hill in HP’s tribal Kinnaur district, taking the toll in rain-related deaths to 10 in the state, an official said on Tuesday. Devesh and Rajveer, both residents of Pangi village,died after their car slipped of the road and rolled down a hill amid rainfall, he added.

“Nearly 45 students of IIT-Roorkee were taken to an army base camp at Sissu from where they were brought to Manali via Rohtang tunnel,” an official said.

Around 300 people, comprising locals and tourists, were stranded in Lahaul and Spiti district for the past two-three days at various locations after the onset of heavy snow that snapped all road links. He said most of the stranded people were brought to Keylong, some 121 km from Manali, and from there would be either airlifted by the IAF or brought to Manali by road on Wednesday. “The priority in airlifting will be given to old, sick and women,” he added.

An HP government spokesperson advised tourists not to venture into remote areas of the state as chances of snow were still high. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur visited Kullu town to take stock of the rescue operations. He also took an aerial survey of the Lahaul valley up to Chandertal to access the damage caused by untimely snow. Thakur said the state has suffered a loss of over ₹1,230 crore in the last four days.

Pong floodgates likely to open today

The plan to release excess water from the Pong dam on the Beas in HP’s Kangra district has been deferred till Wednesday morning, providing relief to the residents of low-lying areas of the state and neighbouring Punjab.

However, excess water from the Pandoh dam in Mandi district has been released at 11 am on Tuesday morning, a central water commission official said.

In Haryana, the authorities released water from the Hathnikund barrage .

(With agency inputs)