Stuck at Baralacha La, 250 rescued

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Mandi, May 27

Around 250 stranded tourists were rescued from Baralacha La on the Manali-Leh highway in Lahaul and Spiti district by the police and Border Roads Organisation officials last night.

A tourist vehicle reportedly got stuck near the pass due to a technical snag on Friday. That led to a 10-km-long traffic jam in the area. A team from the Darcha police post rushed to the spot to lead a rescue operation and evacuate those stranded. It started snowing heavily in the region during the night, causing difficulty in the rescue operation.

10-km-long traffic jam

• A tourist vehicle got stuck near the pass due to a technical snag on Friday, leading to a 10-km-long traffic jam in the area
• The police and BRO men were able to rescue all stranded persons from there by Saturday morning

The police and BRO men, however, continued with the rescue operation through the night and succeeded in evacuating all stranded persons by Saturday morning.

Lahaul-Spiti SP Mayank Chaudhary said, “A large numbers of vehicles remained stuck near Baralacha La for hours on Friday night. Majority of the vehicles were safely moved out of the area on Friday night, while some were evacuated this morning. The Manali-Leh NH remained blocked today due to fresh snowfall at Baralacha La.”

The SP said the Darcha-Shinkula-Padum road also remained blocked due to fresh snowfall near Shinku La. The SP said the people had been advised to strictly follow the district administration’s instructions to avoid inconvenience during travelling in the district.