Heavy snowfall in Himachal's Spiti Valley blocks over 650 roads; tourists shifted to safer locations

Heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley left at least 81 tourists stranded due to the closure of roads. They were later shifted to safer places, the police said on Monday.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, incessant rain and snow for the past three days caused several avalanches and landslides in Himachal Pradesh. On Monday, over 650 roads, including five national highways, remained closed for vehicular movement.

On Sunday night, the authorities shifted as many as 81 tourists stranded in Spiti Valley in Lahaul and Spiti districtin different hotels or homestays, the police stated. In the tribal district, about 290 roads were closed, and several places were without electricity for two days, the statement added. At least 1,314 transformers are out of order in Himachal Pradesh, the State Emergency Operation Centre stated. Furthermore, heavy showers and snowfall in Spiti also interrupted mobile networks.

The officials informed that an avalanche that hit Dara Waterfall near Jasrat village in Lahaul and Spiti on Sunday obstructed the flow of Chenab. It triggered an alert in the neighbouring areas.

They have urged the people residing in the neighbouring villages of Jobrang, Rapi, Jasrath, Tarand and Tharot to stay alert and contact the nearest police post if there's an emergency. Meanwhile, cold wave conditions continued across Himachal Pradesh.

The weather office in Shimla had issued a red alert for Saturday, predicting thunderstorms with lightning, hailstorms and heavy rain at isolated places accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kilometres per hour.

An avalanche near Nehrukhund on the Manali-Solang Nallah road buried five vehicles parked on a roadside. Another landslide occurred in the Bharmaur area of the Chamba district, damaging a house. A few houses in the region are still under threat of damage.

Koksar in Lahaul and Spiti received 88.3 cm of snow, the highest in the state. The remote Dodra Kwar subdivision of Shimla district has been cut off from the rest of the state as the Shimla-Kinnaur road was blocked near Negulsari. The heavy snowfall also led to the closure of the Rohtang Pass.

The local meteorological office has predicted a wet spell in Himachal Pradesh till March 7 as a fresh western disturbance would impact the Western Himalayas from the night of March 5.

(With inputs from agencies)