40 Bengal tourists stranded at Rohtang Pass due to snowfall

Manali: The West Bengal government was in touch with its counterparts in Himachal Pradesh to rescue about 40 tourists from the state, stranded at Rohtang Pass following landslide, Civil Defence Minister Srikumar Mukherjee said.

"Three vehicles, carrying about 40 tourists from West Bengal, are stuck at Rohtang Pass following landslide and snowstorm. We are in touch with the HP government for their rescue," Mukherjee told reporters here today.

Stating that the District Magistrate of Shimla had already sent a rescue team to the affected area, Mukherjee said he had already established contact with one of the affected tourists Koushik Mondal who said all of them were safe but they wanted to come down.

Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh said he had a communication with his Himachal counterpart through Bengal’s Residential Commissioner in Delhi to chalk out a rescue strategy to immediately bring the tourists down.