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Tourists stranded, roads blocked, power cut as heavy snowfall cuts off hills
The rush to see snow created a 15-km traffic jam near Manali, forcing many to abandon their vehicles.
Sudden and heavy snowfall across the Himalayan region over the last 48 hours has triggered widespread disruptions, with hundreds of vehicles and people stranded, roads blocked and power disruptions in several high-altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Kashmir.
In Himachal Pradesh, the heavy snowfall has ended a prolonged dry spell in the state but triggered a crisis in the Kullu-Manali region. As of Saturday, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) reported 683 roads, including two National Highways (NH-03 and NH-505), blocked. In Kullu alone, 79 roads are shut and 587 transformers are down.
The rush to see snow created a 15-km traffic jam near Manali, forcing many to abandon their vehicles. Videos on social media showed cars stuck or sliding on icy roads. “We remained stuck in the traffic jam for more than three hours and then decided to walk our way to Manali...,” said Akshay, a tourist from Delhi, who walked around 7 km to reach Manali.
Trisha, a tourist from Delhi, said: “We had to spend the night in our vehicle and we survived on maggi as we were carrying our own portable cylinder...”
Stranded tourists also accused taxi operators of overcharging. “Due to snow, public transport is not available and taxi operators are charging anything between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 for a 20-km journey between Manali and Patlikuhal,” said Lakshit, a tourist from Delhi.
The snow clearance began Saturday after a slight improvement in the weather. Authorities said traffic toward Manali will resume only after the snow is fully cleared. The Manali-Lahaul road via the Atal Tunnel remains completely closed. Till Saturday, 12 tourists stranded in snow near Raghupur Fort were rescued by locals and police.
In Uttarakhand, moderate to heavy snowfall across Uttarakhand since Friday disrupted life, leaving pilgrims and residents stranded on snowbound roads, particularly in Uttarkashi district, officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Nearly 200 people in 50 vehicles were rescued from Jarmola Dhar on the Yamunotri highway.
Uttarkashi disaster management officer Shardul Gusain said, “Using machines in two shifts, the teams shifted them to Maggi Point, where food and shelter were arranged. Three more people stranded between Banchaura and Diwari Khol were moved to a nearby forest department post for the night.” In Nainital and Tehri Garhwal, over 30 people were rescued overnight.
Meanwhile, Mussoorie has recorded a massive tourist surge due to the Republic Day weekend. “Traffic is currently under control, and one-way traffic plans will be enforced if the tourist rush increases later in the day,” SDM Rahul Anand said.
Two national, 18 state highways, and 19 village roads across the state remained closed on Saturday due to snow, according to real-time data from the Public Works Department.
In Kashmir, more than 1600 tourists were rescued from Gulmarg and Tangmarg areas due to heavy accumulation of the snow on the road. The ski resort of Gulmarg recorded over 50 cm of snow, with upper reaches seeing up to four feet of snow.
“Police in Baramulla successfully facilitated the tourist movement amid heavy snowfall and slippery road conditions in Tangmarg... 1000 guests were safely moved from Tangmarg to Gulmarg while 600 guests were assisted in the opposite direction. All vehicles employed in the movement were 4x4 SUVs equipped with anti-skid chains,” a police spokesman said. The snow also caused an unprecedented power drop -- from 1650 MW to just 93 MW -- though 80% of the network was restored by Saturday evening.
Chief executive officer of the Gulmarg Development Authority, Tariq Ahmad, said while they are following rules, timely snowfall has been a blessing for tourism.
However, with another wet spell predicted starting January 26, authorities remain on high alert across all three states.
