Landslide: Himachal CM, 1,000 tourists stranded in valley

Shimla, June 17: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and over 1,000 tourists were stuck in the picturesque Sangla Valley Monday as the area was cut off due to landslides, an official said.

Incessant rainfall in the region has triggered massive landslides that blocked the road leading to the valley in Kinnaur district.

"Work is on to reopen road link to the Sangla Valley and other major roads. Over 1,000 tourists are also stranded across the district, mainly in Sangla area," Deputy Commissioner J.M. Pathania told IANS.

He said high alert has been declared as more than 60 percent of the district was badly hit by heavy rain. Some areas in Pooh experienced snow.

The chief minister, who was on election tour for the Mandi parliamentary by-poll slated for June 23, has been stationed at Sangla village, some 275 km from state capital.

The Hindustan-Tibet road leading to the China border along Kinnaur is blocked at several locations, said officials.

IANS