Himachal Pradesh: Authorities evacuates 1800 vehicles amid heavy snowfall
Dec 28, 2024
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 28 : Himachal Police teams on Saturday rescued several vehicles and travellers who were stranded as traffic from Solang Valley to the Atal Tunnel was halted due to heavy snowfall warnings. 
Manali DSP KD Sharma told ANI, that a rescue operation was launched yesterday after over 2000 vehicles were stuck between Solang Valley and Atal Tunnel due to adverse weather conditions. Sharma confirmed that nearly 1800 vehicles have been safely evacuated, while around 200 vehicles remained stuck.
"Yesterday, we closed the movement of vehicles from Solang Valley to Atal tunnel due to the weather forecast. Over 2000 vehicles were stuck and we began the rescue operation which continued till morning, today. 1800 vehicles have been evacuated, approx 200 vehicles were stuck - we evacuated the travellers in those stuck vehicles from there..," he said.
Authorities successfully rescued the travelers stranded in those vehicles, bringing the operation to a close this morning.
The cold weather has gripped North Indian hill town Dharamshala. It is also raining here in small intervals and the dense fog has covered Dhauladhar mountains.
On Saturday, the minimum temperature was recorded between 0 and 1 degree Celsius in Naddi, Dharamkot, Bhagsunag, McLeodganj, and other upper parts of Dharamshala.
Meanwhile, the daytime temperature in the region reached around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. The Dhauladhar mountains received fresh snowfall, and tourists are eagerly awaiting more snow in the region.
Shimla and the upper regions of Himachal Pradesh have been grappling with relentless heavy rainfall and snowfall over the past 24 hours, leading to landslides and significant disruptions in daily life. The continuous downpour has melted the snow in Shimla and surrounding areas, further dropping temperatures and creating a bone-chilling cold.
The harsh weather conditions are not only affecting residents but also those who rely on daily wage work for their livelihood.
