Lahaul-Spiti, September 25: Heavy rains and snowfall have been lashing Himachal Pradesh from the last 48 hours. More than 300 people are stranded in Lahaul-Spiti due to heavy snowfall. Himachal Chief Minister Jai ram Thakur assured that all the stranded tourists are safe and would be rescued soon. The state government has requested for two choppers for rescue operations. Thakur said, “I have spoken to both the Defence and Home Minister who have assured us of all possible help.”

Yesterday, a group of 50 trekkers including 35 IIT Roorkee students had gone missing in the Sissu area of Lahaul-Spiti district of the state. However, the chief minister confirmed that all of them are safe. The students had gone for trekking to the Hamata trekking pass in Kullu. Rajvir Singh, the father of one of the students Ankit Bhati, had said that the students were supposed to return to Manali, but had lost contact on Monday.

In Chamba also, around 800 students along with their teachers who were stranded in Bharmour were reported safe. The students were gone to the area to participate in a sports competition. Due to heavy rains, the water level in the Beas River flowing through the state have risen. All government and private schools and colleges in various districts of Himachal Pradesh have been closed till the situation improves. At five deaths have also been reported from the state due to heavy rains.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2018 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).