More than 300 tourists who were stranded near the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang after fresh snowfall,have been rescued by the Himachal Pradesh police. People were stuck between the South Portal of Atal Tunnel and Solang Nalla in Manali.?
Along with the Kullu Police, the Lahaul-Spiti Police sent vehicles through the tunnel in the evening. Around 70 vehicles, including a 48-seater bus, a 24-seater police bus and one police quick reaction team (QRT), were deployed for their rescue operation.
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Tourists who were rescued from the tunnel were taken to safer places in Manali. According to the forecast by the Metereological Department, snowfall around the tunnel is expected in the next few days.?
Atal Tunnel is the world¡¯s longest tunnel and has an altitude of 10,040 feet. It is also a tourist destination since it was inaugurated to the public in October 2020.?
The tunnel helps in saving four to five hours of travel time, and 46 kilometres distance between Manali, and Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.?On October 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Atal Tunnel.?At 9.02 km, it's the longest highway tunnel in the world and connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti Valley in Rohtang.
The tunnel is one of the two routes into Ladakh; it will also become the route used to resupplying the military garrison there. The other route into Ladakh is through the Zojila Pass which connects the Kashmir Valley with Drass.