Manali Snowstorm Turns 15-KM Drive into 10-Hour Nightmare
Manali Snowstorm Turns 15-KM Drive into 10-Hour Nightmare
Thousands of tourists are stranded as icy roads and a tourist surge paralyze Manali’s highway during a heavy snowfall.
Manali, a popular hill town in the Kullu valley, was brought to a standstill as fresh snowfall blanketed the area. The main highway from Kullu to Manali saw an extraordinary 15-km stretch of gridlock, turning a routine journey into a multi-hour ordeal. For many travelers, the 15-km drive stretched to more than 10 hours, swerving between slippery patches and congested lanes. Exit routes fared even worse, with jams stretching beyond 10km and blocking a key route near Patlikuhal, a nearby market town where snow had begun melting. A viral video from around 2:30 am showed tourists hauling trolley bags over ice, some slipping and falling. Thousands remained stranded for a second day, with buses, taxis and cars barely moving as sub-zero temperatures settled in. The distance from Manali to Patlikuhal is roughly 15km, yet several travellers reported it took half a day to reach that point.
