- Friday, February 28, 2025
The situation was too difficult for many people as there are families and children, said one of the stranded tourists.
By: Shubham Ghosh
AROUND 200 odd tourists, who planned to have a summer outing in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, were left with a harrowing experience as the national highway connecting Mandi and Kullu in the hilly state was blocked by flash floods and landslides on Sunday (25) evening, triggered by heavy rain.
The region saw a traffic snarl extending up to 15 kilometres and no hotel room for the stranded tourists to take shelter. It was also not clear as to how long it would take for the queue to clear.
Two persons were also reportedly killed due to flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in the state’s Solan and Hamirpur districts on Sunday.
VIDEO | Mandi-Kullu road blocked due to a heavy landslide triggered by continuous rain in Himachal. The road leading to Parashar ahead of Kamand is also closed due to flash flood. People are advised not to stay on the roads adjacent to mountains as there is a high risk of… pic.twitter.com/etKejtHfRq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 26, 2023
According to an NDTV report, explosives were being blasted for clearing heavy boulders that blocked the road. It would take around seven to eight hours for the road to be cleared, PTI reported citing officials.
Azaz Hasan, one of the stranded tourists, told NDTV that multiple landslides took place between Mandi and Sundernagar and police stopped them around 10 pm local time on Sunday and asked them to return.
He said the situation was too difficult for many people as there are families and children. He added that people were waiting at roadside dhabas as no hotel room was available.
He also told the news outlet that the area has power projects and tourist resorts but no alternative road to avail.
Local weather officials warned of more rain and thunderstorms in Himachal over the next couple of days.
