Manali Snow Chaos: 15-Km Jam, Tourists Stranded
Manali Snow Chaos: 15-Km Jam, Tourists Stranded
Heavy snowfall shuts roads, sparks power cuts and a massive tourist logjam around Manali as authorities race to clear routes and restore services.
Over the last 48 hours, heavy snowfall blanketed the Himalayan belt, triggering road blockages, outages, and hundreds of people stranded in high-altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh. In Kullu, 79 roads are shut and 587 transformers are down, while 683 roads, including two national highways, are blocked. The Manali region bore the brunt, with a 15-km traffic jam near Manali forcing many travelers to abandon their vehicles and walk to safety.
Tourists, many from Delhi, described long waits and makeshift rescues. Akshay, a tourist, said: 'We remained stuck in the traffic jam for more than three hours and then decided to walk our way to Manali.' Trisha added: 'We slept in our vehicle and survived on maggi as we carried our own portable cylinder.' Public transport has largely paused and taxi operators were charging exorbitant fares for short journeys—between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 for about 20 km between Manali and Patlikuhal.
Snow clearance began on Saturday as weather slightly improved. The Manali-Lahaul road via the Atal Tunnel remains completely closed. At least 12 tourists stranded near Raghupur Fort were rescued by locals and police, with authorities saying more rescues could follow as routes are assessed and power restoration continues in affected areas.
