Manali-Leh road still blocked, tourists evacuated from Ladakh via Shinku La

Hundreds of tourists stranded in the Ladakh region are being safely evacuated towards Manali through high-altitude Shinku La. As air operations at the Ladakh airport are suspended and the strategic Manali-Leh highway via Sarchu is also closed, the authorities concerned have started evacuating tourists via alternative routes.

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Over the past two days, coordinated efforts by the Ladakh and Lahaul and Spiti administrations led to successful evacuation of hundreds of tourists from Leh and surrounding areas. The alternative route through Shinku La has become the primary corridor for transporting stranded visitors towards Manali and Kullu.

Officials confirmed that the Manali-Leh highway via Sarchu was still inaccessible for regular traffic and snow clearance operations by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were still going on. Though the BRO has cleared snow up to Sarchu, massive snow walls flanking the narrow mountain road pose serious threat to safety. As a result, the BRO is yet to declare the route open for vehicular movement.

An official said, “Tourist movement through Shinku La is being managed efficiently and all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure their safety. Several vehicles have already reached Manali in the past two days.”

The disruption in air traffic and road connectivity has posed logistical challenges for both tourists and local authorities. However, the swift response and coordination between civil and military agencies have prevented any major crisis.

The authorities concerned are hopeful that the BRO will soon give the green light for traffic on the Manali-Leh highway via Sarchu once it is deemed safe for travel.