Kerala: Malappuram Family Stranded In Manali Finally Reaching Home Safely

As many as 2,000 tourists stranded in Kasol area of Kullu district owing to incessant rainfall have been evacuated safely, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. He also said that over 300 tourist vehicles stuck in Lahaul have left for their respective destinations.

The Kullu-Manali road was opened Tuesday evening and about 2,200 vehicles crossed Kullu. There was no mobile signal in several areas in Manali and its suburbs for the past two days and the tourists were unable to contact their families, officials said.

Among the stranded people, there were many Maliyalis out of which one family hailing from Malappuram has spoken to Oneindia Malayalam.

Shahul's son Jamsheed with his family members and friends had gone to Manali.

Giving an account of his son's trip, Shahul said, "Last Saturday, Jamsheed and his family, accompanied by their friends and family from Vettom, arrived in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Both Jamsheed and his friends work in Ras Al Khaimah. They had a video call on Sunday, during which they had shown the hotel and its surroundings."

However, there was a sudden change in the weather, and subsequent attempts to contact them were unsuccessful. In an effort to locate them, the travel agency was contacted, as well as the authorities at Surabhi hotel in Manali. Additionally, the Himachal Pradesh government helpline and Kerala House were reached out to for assistance by Shahul.

Shahul tirelessly explored various avenues in his quest to obtain information about his son's well-being. He made multiple attempts to gather updates on his son's current situation. He managed to reach the manager of Surabhi Hotel over the phone, who reassured him that there was nothing to fear. Subsequently, Shahul contacted the government helpline, where he was informed that the army had been deployed to the area and there was no cause for concern.

Much to his relief, today morning the family got a call from Jamsheed that they are moving to Delhi from Manali.

Jamsheed has informed Shahul that there are four Arabs from Mecca and 16 people from Kannur stuck in Manali and now they also are travelling to Delhi in buses.

Jamsheed and others are expected to reach Delhi tonight after which they will leave for Kerala.

As per the earlier booking, they were supposed to reach home by Delhi-Kochi flight today evening. Shahul and his family are happy to know that their son is fine.