Hundreds stranded for 8 hrs at Rohtang Pass due to snowfall

Shimla, Apr 24: Over 350 persons, including women and children, were stranded at Rohtang Pass today for about eight hours due to fresh snowfall. They reached Manali from Keylong late evening as Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel were pressed into snow clearing operations.

"We had a harrowing time as temperature dropped considerably and was four to five degree below freezing point but fortunately the road was opened late in the evening and we were able to drive past Rohtang Pass and head towards Manali," Varinder Singh, a professor at CSK Agriculture University, told PTI on phone from Rohtang.

Singh said the road could have been cleared earlier but there was a lack of coordination among various government agencies and we had to make frantic calls to authorities to explain our plight. Due to fresh snowfall in high altitude tribal areas, the minimum temperature plummeted and stayed three to five degree below freezing point.

Keylong and Kalpa recorded a low of minus 1.7 degree C and 2.0 degree C respectively, while Manali recorded 4.0 degree C, a MeT official said. The maximum day temperatures also dropped by few notches with Una recording the highest at 35.8 degree C, while Manali touched 16.5 degree C, the official said, adding dry weather will prevail in the region for over next six days.

PTI