Kinnaur
Heavy rains and severe flooding left hundreds of pilgrims trapped during the Kinnar Kailash Yatra in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur region. A significant portion of the Yatra route was also destroyed as a result of the disaster, as two bridges in the Tangling region were swept away. To rescue the devotees stranded in this catastrophe, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) carried out a significant rescue effort.
The 17th Battalion of ITBP personnel has used ropes to safely cross the difficult pathways and remove numerous devotees. One gazetted officer, four subordinate officers, and 29 other ranks make up this rescue squad. The rescue crew once more set out for the location on Wednesday morning after the District Administration in Kinnaur received word that several passengers were still stuck.
Rescue teams are evacuating people via the Purbani route as bridges over Tanglipi and Kangrang rivulets have been washed away. The administration has suspended the Kinnar Kailash Yatra till further orders and registrations for the yatra have also been closed.
Meanwhile, heavy rains continued on Wednesday, causing landslides at many places and stones falling from the hill. National Highway 5 has been completely closed due to stone falling from the hill near Juri, cutting off the connectivity of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. This highway is also blocked near Chaura and Skiba. At present, the Kaza area of Kinnaur and Spiti is completely cut off from the country and the world.
The rescue team is still working diligently and efforts are on to safely evacuate the remaining stranded people. The administration has appealed to the people not to travel till the weather conditions improve.
