US cyclist buried at Keylong,17 trekkers airlifted

The district administration and the police,meanwhile,rescued 17 members of a trekkers’ team from Mumbai who were stranded in the snow-covered area between Batal and Koksar on way to Manali. As many as 16 members of the same team were airlifted from Batal to Bahang,at the helipad of Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment,on Sunday.

According to Rana,there is no one left to be airlifted from the Spiti valley.

Speaking to the media,Meena Sangmo,leader of the trekking group,said they had reached Batal,after covering Shimla,Sangla,Tabo and Losar,last Tuesday. She said the owners of Chandra Dhaba provide them with food and shelter for the six days they remained stranded due to snowstorm. “Had they not given us shelter,we would have perished,” said Sangmo,who was accompanied by Khushbu,Srishti,Devansh,Harsh,Hemant,Archana,Amit,Kavita,Vishal and Prithvi. All of them said surviving the adverse weather conditions was once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Deputy Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan said all tourists had been evacuated to safer places and there was no information about anyone stranded in faraway locations.

The police’s Quick Response Team in Lahaul evacuated 80 people to safer locations via short-cut trek routes. “From June 12 to 14,nearly 80 tourists and passengers were moved out from Chota Dara,Dadarpul and Chhatru on foot. Only two bikers,both foreigners,are staying back at Batal,waiting for the road to reopen,” the SP said from Keylong.

In the interiors of Chamba district,the road link from Chamba to tribal Pangi area via Saach Pass was restored after six months on Tuesday. The road closes down after December due to heavy snowfall in the area. Resident Commissioner Gopal Chand,who is posted at Killar,said the stretch had been cleared of snow.