Heavy snowfall in Uttarakhand's Chamoli; several roads temporarily closed

Several roads in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district were temporarily closed after heavy snowfall caused vehicles to skid. While traffic on the Joshimath-Auli road has resumed, SDRF teams rescued stranded people in Nainital, Tehri, and Uttarkashi.

Chamoli Superintendent of Police (SP) Surjeet Singh Pawar on Saturday said that the administration has temporarily closed several roads after multiple vehicles began skidding due to snow. He said several parts of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district received snowfall from Friday evening, which led the district administration to take precautionary measures.

Roads Closed as Precautionary Measure

Speaking to ANI, SP Pawar said that following the snowfall, multiple vehicles began skidding on snow-covered roads, after which the administration temporarily closed several key routes in the district. "Several parts of Chamoli district received snowfall yesterday evening. As a precautionary measure, the administration temporarily closed the Mandal-Chopta road, Gairsain road, Gwaldam road, and the Joshimath-Auli road after multiple vehicles started skidding due to snow," SP Pawar told ANI.

He further informed that the situation has since improved, and traffic movement on the Joshimath-Auli road has been restored. "Traffic on the Joshimath-Auli road has now been restored and is operating normally," the SP said.

SP Pawar added that the Chamoli traffic police are actively deployed on the ground to manage traffic and ensure the safety of commuters amid prevailing weather conditions. "The Chamoli traffic police are actively engaged in managing the arrangements, and tourist movement to Auli has resumed through 4x4 vehicles," he said.

SDRF Conducts Rescue Operations

Heavy snowfall on Friday night left vehicles and people stranded at several locations in the high-altitude areas of Nainital, Uttarkashi, and Tehri Garhwal districts. Based on information received from the DCR Nainital and the District Disaster Management Department, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams acted swiftly and rescued stranded vehicles and passengers in the Ramgarh-Mukteshwar and Dhanachuli Band areas.

Rescue in Dhanachuli Band Area

In the Dhanachuli Band area, the teams cleared snow from the road using a JCB machine and safely evacuated approximately 20 to 25 vehicles.

Ghansali Rescue Operation

In a similar operation, the SDRF Post Ghansali team rescued eight people, along with their vehicle, after they were stranded in snow near Badiyar village on the Mayali Road. The team safely brought all of them to Ghansali. The rescued individuals were returning from a wedding ceremony.

Evacuations in Uttarkashi

Additionally, the SDRF Headquarters Ujeli, Uttarkashi team evacuated around 75 people stranded in snow on the Lambgaon Motor Road in the Chaurangi area and shifted them to safe locations.

The SDRF conducted coordinated, effective rescue operations at all affected sites. All individuals are safe, and authorities have reported no loss of life. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)