80 tourists stranded in Kinnaur evacuated

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 27

Around 80 tourists, who were stranded beyond Batseri on the Sangla-Chitkul road in Kinnaur district for more than 50 hours following a major landslide on July 25, were evacuated as the road was opened for one-way traffic this evening.

“The road has been closed again as a precautionary measure till we get a go-ahead from the Public Works Department and a team of the Geological Survey of India (GSI),” said Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq.

Since the area in the vicinity of the landslide stretch is inhabited, road clearing teams resorted to controlled blasting to clear the stretch.

The GSI team will reach Kinnaur tonight. The team, on its three-day visit, will inspect the slide site to ascertain the cause and remedial measures, he said. A detailed discussion would also be held with the team for rock mapping and treatment of about 15-16 vulnerable spots, suggesting future course of action to strengthen the strata.

Meanwhile, the bodies of eight tourists, who died in the landslide, have been handed over to their relatives at Himachal Bhawan, New Delhi, while the body of Lieutenant Bapat was handed over to the Army at Karcham, which was airlifted to Raipur, Chhattisgarh.