Snow, avalanches hit Himachal, 7 rescued from Kinnaur village

As Shimla and its peripheral tourists spots woke up to snowfall on Wednesday, an avalanche hit Kafnu village in Himachal's tribal Kinnaur in the morning, leading to the district administration rescuing seven persons.

Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Capt J M Pathania said: "Two families got buried under the snow. A village panch alerted the administration and rescue parties were rushed to the spot."

It was difficult to locate the houses located at Moranung Nallah, as it was covered under four feet of snow. The approach road to the village had also been blocked, as it had been snowing in the area for the last three days.

During rescue operations, Birman Chand, his wife Hiramani and daughter Tammana were evacuated after they were found trapped in the ground floor of a two-storey building. The second family, comprising Sarita and her three children — Indu, Bindu and Guddia — were evacuated around 3.15 pm. "All survivors have been shifted at a temporary government accommodation," said Pathania.

The entire tribal belt is experiencing heavy snowfall for the last three days and normal life had been completely paralysed, as all highways and link roads have been blocked due to snow. Even pedestrian movement within tribal valleys has come to a halt.

The higher reaches in the state and mid hills, including Shimla, are experiencing intermittent heavy snowfall since Tuesday night. Various parts of Shimla recorded 15 to 30 cm of snow till Wednesday morning. Shimla Deputy Commissioner Dinesh Malhotra said, "Traffic has been disrupted at Narkanda and Kharapthar due to heavy snowfall. Snow clearance work will be taken up immediately after snowfall stops." Manali and its neighbouring areas also witnessed heavy snowfall during the day.

The tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts and tribal areas of Pangi and Bharmaur are also experiencing heavy snowfall for the last three days. All schools have been closed in Lahaul and Spiti district for three days.

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