All stranded people in HP’s Lahaul-Spiti rescued

Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, August 1

Over 370 people, who were stranded in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district due to heavy rains and landslides, have been rescued, a state disaster management official said on Sunday.

They were marooned in areas under the Udaipur Sub-Division of the district.

State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said according to information provided by the Udaipur sub-divisional magistrate, all stranded people have been rescued.

He said 194 people were rescued from Udaipur, Fuda, Trilokinath and Jahlman on Sunday.

While 19 persons were airlifted, 175 were evacuated by road, Mokhta added.

Earlier on Saturday, 178 persons were rescued.

Thus, a total of 372 persons were rescued from the Udaipur Sub-Division in two days, the SDMA director said.

 On Sunday morning, the first flight was conducted from Baring to Tandi helipad, near district headquarters Keylong in Lahaul Spiti, to evacuate eight people, including a pregnant woman.

As many as 66 people were stranded at different locations under Udaipur subdivision in the tribal district till Saturday, while over 300 had already been evacuated by the district administration with the help of ladders, ropeways and zipline over the Shansha Nullah in the district.

On July 27, flash floods had created havoc in the Patan valley, snapping the road connectivity between Keylong and Udaipur in the tribal district. As a result, a large number of people had been stuck in the area since July 27.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had on Saturday visited flood-affected areas of the Lahaul Valley to take stock of the situation due to flooding in the Tojing Nallah on July 27.

Thakur had also inspected the areas with teams of the district administration, Border Roads Organisation and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. — With PTI