A sudden spell of heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh left thousands of tourists stranded near the Atal Tunnel and parts of Lahaul-Spiti district, triggering a large-scale rescue effort by authorities. The snowfall began on Sunday evening and continued through Monday, severely affecting road connectivity and visibility.
Tourists caught off guard
Many visitors had travelled from Manali to Sissu and the Atal Tunnel over the weekend to experience fresh snowfall. However, worsening weather conditions quickly turned risky, with slippery roads making return travel difficult. By Sunday evening, more than 1,000 vehicles were stuck near the Atal Tunnel, leading to a massive traffic jam both inside and around the tunnel, reported The Times of India.
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While some tourists managed to stay back in Sissu, hundreds were forced to spend the night inside their vehicles. Several remained stranded for nearly 20 hours in freezing conditions.
If your loved ones are travelling to Himachal and they're not contactable, please donāt worry. They are safe.
— ą„ą¤æą¤¦ą„ą¤¦ą„ ą¤Øą¤¾ą¤ą¤°ą¤æą¤ (@ZiddiNaagrik) March 16, 2026
There is no network inside the Atal Tunnel, which makes it difficult to reach them. They will soon exit the tunnel in a phased manner and regain network coverage.ā¦ pic.twitter.com/nyeiOwiywM
Rescue operation amid harsh weather
A joint rescue operation was launched by Kullu police and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Sunday evening. Despite continuous snowfall hampering efforts, teams worked through the night to clear vehicles and restore movement.
"We managed to safely guide around 700 of the over 1,000 stranded vehicles from Atal Tunnel to Manali Sunday night. The remaining 300 vehicles were brought back to Manali by Monday afternoon. We had a team of 40 personnel, but heavy snowfall kept hampering the operation," Manali DSP K D Sharma, who took part in the operation, told TOI.
Over two feet of snow accumulated around the Atal Tunnel during this period. According to Kullu SDM Ashwani Kumar, around 100 vehicles were still stranded near Dhundi, with rescue efforts ongoing at the time of reporting.
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Weather impact across Himachal
Authorities shut the Manali-Atal Tunnel highway at Nehru Kund due to continued snowfall, while Lahaul-Spiti police advised against unnecessary travel. Snowfall was reported across higher regions, including Solang Valley, Keylong, and Dalhousie, while several districts witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall.
The state recorded an average rainfall of 11.5 mm in 24 hours, significantly above normal levels, leading to a sharp drop in temperatures across regions.
With more snow and rain forecast, officials have issued alerts urging caution in the coming days.
