15-km Jam, No Hotel Rooms: Himachal Landslide Nightmare For 200 Tourists
NDTV
The Mandi-Kullu highway has remained blocked since last evening following flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh
A traffic jam at least 15 km-long, no hotel room available and no clue on how long the wait will be -- 200-odd people, most of them tourists, are living a nightmare after they were stranded due to a block on the national highway connecting Mandi and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh.
The highway has remained blocked since last evening following flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the hill state. According to officials, explosives are being used to blast heavy boulders blocking the road. The road will be open to traffic movement only after seven-eight hours, the officials said, according to a PTI report.
The commuters, meanwhile, are having a harrowing time.
NDTV spoke to Sohail Yousuf and Azaz Hasan, tourists stranded due to the massive road blockade. The two tourists from Delhi were on their way to Bhuntar airport when they got stuck in the blockade. "Multiple landslides took place between Mandi and Sundarnagar. At 10 pm, police stopped us and asked us to go back. The traffic jam here is at least 15-km long," Mr Hasan told NDTV in a video interaction.
