Heavy Snowfall Leaves Thousands In Fix In Hill States; 5,000 Rescued In Himachal, 70 In Kashmir

Amid heavy snowfall, 5,000 tourists were evacuated in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh while the Indian Army rescued 68 tourists stranded in Gulmarg.

Around 5,000 tourists stranded at Solang Nala, a ski resort in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu, were rescued by police on Friday, amid heavy snowfall, reported ANI. 

Kullu police launched a rescue operation on December 27 after about 1,000 vehicles were stranded in Solang Nala. 

"Due to fresh snowfall today on 27.12.2024, about 1000 tourists and other vehicles were stuck in Solang Nala. There were about 5000 tourists in these vehicles. The vehicles and tourists have been rescued by Kullu Police and taken to safe places. The rescue operation is still going on," Kullu police said in a post on X.

Himachal Pradesh continues to be in the grip of snowfall and coldwave with India Meteorological Department issuing an orange alert for Saturday as well. 

Over 70 Rescued In Kashmir 

The Indian Army evacuated 68 tourists stranded in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg district amid heavy snowfall and subsequent closure of the road to Tanmarg. 

Chinar Corps, the Kashmir-based unit of the Indian Army, said it provided assistance to 68 tourists including 30 men, 30 women, and 8 children. It also provided hot meals, shelter, and medication to a total of 137 tourists. 

It also responded to an emergency call to evacuate a pregnant lady from Munad village in Kulgam district. "Amidst heavy snowfall, the rescue team reached the location on time. Immediate life-saving medical assistance was extended & the patient was evacuated to Government Hospital, Yaripora," it said. 

In Poonch, six people stranded amid heavy snowfall on the Mughal Road were rescued by police, said officials on Saturday. 

On Friday night, two vehicles got stuck while going from Shopian to Surankot at Chattapani, leaving their occupants stranded in challenging weather conditions, police said. 

A police team was rushed to the spot and all the stranded people were successfully evacuated. 

In view of heavy snowfall in Kashmir Valley, police advised commuters to exercise caution and stay informed about weather conditions when travelling in snow-prone and high-altitude areas.

The snowfall began in the higher reaches of Kashmir on Friday morning, while the plains witnessed snowfall later in the afternoon. 

Srinagar, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Gulmarg, tourist resorts of Sonamarg and Pahalgam, Gurez, Zojila axis, Sadhna Top, Mughal Road and many areas in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara were some of the districts that received heavy snowfall.