DEHRADUN/SHIMLA/SRINAGAR: Rescuers were on Tuesday rushed to rescue around 300 pilgrims and tourists stranded en route to Gangotri and Yamnotri in Uttarakhand due to the closure of roads following heavy snowfall across the region.
"We have sent teams to shift these stranded pilgrims and tourists to safer places and hope to rescue them speedily,'' an official said.
Elsewhere in the state, uninterrupted rain and snowfall triggered massive landslides and paralyzed normal life in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. Reports said the landslides forced closure of 280-km Rishikesh-Gangotri road along with Rishikesh-Badrinath and Kedarnath yatra routes.
In Uttarkashi, the plunge in the mercury forced authorities to close schools for two days. Authorities in Pauri, Chamoli, Tehri and Pithoragarh are likely to follow suit.
Day temperatures dropped by 8 to 10 degrees in places likes Dehradun, Haridwar and Haldwani.
Dehradun Met director Anand Sahrma told TOI that more rain and snowfall was expected for next two days. ``We have sounded an alert urging people to move carefully especially while driving or trekking in hills due to possibility of more landslides.''
Normal life remained disrupted in Himachal Pradesh, where remote areas remained cut off from the outside world due to heavy snowfall. Intermittent rains and sleet along with icy winds lashed the state's lower reaches.
Authorities have sounded an avalanche threat in high altitude areas and advised people to stay indoors.
Manali experienced 60cm and was cut off while the Rohtang Pass recorded 150cm snow.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the lifeline Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the third day due to heavy snowfall and landslides. Over 400 vehicles and hundreds of passengers were stranded along the only surface route connecting the Valley with the outside world due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
Rain, snow continues to disrupt life across northern Himalayan region
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Rain, snow continues to disrupt life across northern Himalayan region
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Rain, snow continues to disrupt life across northern Himalayan region
