The Atal Tunnel has become a tourist destination since it opened to the public in October.
Shimla:
Himachal Pradesh police have rescued more than 300 tourists stranded near the Atal tunnel in Rohtang after a recent snowfall, an official said Sunday.
Some tourists had crossed the tunnel on Saturday morning, but could not find any resting place in Lahaul at night due to snowfall and were stranded midway on their way back to Manali, said Kullu SP Gaurav Singh.
Lahaul-Spiti police, in coordination with the Kullu police, sent vehicles through the tunnel at night.
However, these vehicles were stuck midway on their way to Manali due to snow and slippery roads, Gaurav Singh said.
Around 70 vehicles, including a 48-seater bus, a 24-seater police bus and a Police Rapid Reaction Team (QRT), were deployed to his rescue.
The Manali DSP and SHO were involved in the rescue operation which was later joined by the Border Roads Organization (BRO), Kullu SP said.
The rescue operation began Saturday night and continued after midnight, it added.
All the stranded tourists were rescued from the Dhundhi and South Portal tunnel until 12.33am and were taken to safer locations in Manali.
The SP further stated that the Manali SHO-led staff team was still checking en route to see if there were any stranded tourists.
According to the forecast of the Department of Meteorology, snowfall is expected around the tunnel in the coming days.
Issuing a yellow weather warning for heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, the MeT Department had forecast rain and snowfall in the state’s middle and upper hills from January 3-5 and January 8.
The Atal Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world at an altitude of 10,040 feet, has become a tourist destination since it opened to the public in October.
The 9.02 km underpass below the 13,058-foot-high Rohtang Pass connects Lahaul of the Lahaul-Spiti district and the Manali district of Kullu in the state. Almost all tourists who come to Manali visit the tunnel, considered a marvelous piece of engineering.
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