The police said that the rescue operation was necessitated by continuous intermittent snowfall over the past two days resulting in icy and slippery road conditions
KRC TIMES National Bureau
Leh: More than 100 tourists from across the country, including women and children, trapped in snow at the treacherous Chang-la Axis in Ladakh have been rescued in a massive operation that was launched by the Leh administration on Friday evening.
The operation continued on Saturday morning when the Ladakh Police UTDRF, along with the personnel of Kharu police post, swung into action and rescued eight tourists from Chang-la Top amid heavy snowfall resulting in a distressful situation for the visitors, said the Ladakh UT’s additional DGP.
The rescue operation, launched on Friday evening by police amid significant influx of tourists and local passengers requiring assistance, was successfully carried out with the help of Army, GREF and other teams.
Reports about tourists facing difficulty in proceeding further due to snow at the Zojila Pass in the Kargil district of Ladakh have been pouring in. the police are helping tourist vehicles at Zojila axis. They have intensified highway patrol to help people in distress, the Kargil Police said.
But the situation was challenging at Chang La, a high mountain pass in Ladakh at an elevation of 17,688 ft in the Ladakh Range between Leh and the Shyok River valley. The Chang La, on Leh to Pangong Lake road, lies on the Leh-Karu-Sakti-Zingral-Chang La-Durbuk-Tangtse-Pangong Lake motorable road.
The police said that the rescue operation was necessitated by continuous intermittent snowfall over the past two days resulting in icy and slippery road conditions.
They said, since last evening, Leh District Police successfully rescued hundreds of stranded passengers, including women, children and tourists from the treacherous Changla Axis. Several vehicles, including taxis and private cars, especially those belonging to tourists, became immobilized at Changla Top.
In response to the emergencies caused by the inclement weather and intermittent snowfall, exacerbated by icy road condition, police team from Kharu and Tangste police posts swiftly rushed to Changla Top. Their primary objective was to rescue and evacuate the stranded passengers with particular focus on women, children and tourists.
