Stranded for 2 days, 5 tourists rescued from Batal in Spiti
Kullu, December 19
The Lahaul and Spiti administration with the help of local youth today rescued five tourists stranded for two days at Batal, about 40 km from Losar village of Spiti on the Kaza-Manali road.
The administration had received information that five persons had left in an SUV (CH-01CL-8251) from Losar for Manali on December 17. The local people tried to stop the occupants of the vehicle from leaving but they left. The next day the relatives of the tourists informed the administration about the stranded tourists.
District Magistrate Rahul Kumar decided to send rescue teams from both Spiti and Keylong.
The rescue team from Spiti could reach only three km behind Kunzum Pass on December 18 as the vehicles were getting stuck due to excessive snowfall.
The team stopped at the Losar resthouse. Today, the rescue team again left for Batal with 10 vehicles.
The team reached Batal resthouse, where the five tourists were staying, around 2.30 pm.
The District Magistrate said that the vehicle of these tourists slipped due to snow and all five of them got stuck about 10 km away from Batal. The health of two of these tourists deteriorated when their vehicle got stuck while three of their friends went on foot to Chhatdu to seek help. However, they did not get any assistance and returned exhausted.
Then they decided to break the lock of the rest house in Batal and made arrangements for stay.
The officer said that the rescue team from Kaza rescued everyone safely. He said the rescue team did a good job under the leadership of SDM Harsh Amarender Negi and Naib Tehsildar Prem Singh.
Kesang Rapchik and the youth of Spiti also played a big role in the rescue operation. He said the rescue team included officials of ITBP, BRO, Public Works Department, Forest Department, Police and others.
The DM said that Lakshya Garg of Sirsa in Haryana, Yash Dhingra of Karol Bagh in Central Delhi, Ayush Panghal of Rohini in Northern West Delhi, Ansh Bharti of Ranchi in Jharkhand and Anshul Chauhan of Chogaon village of Kotkhai subdivision of Shimla were rescued.
