Four more bodies retrieved from snow-bound Rohtang Pass

Four more bodies retrieved from snow-bound Rohtang Pass Manali, Nov 25 : Rescue workers Wednesday recovered the bodies of four more people buried in snow near the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, taking to 14 the number of deaths in the extreme cold conditions in the region, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner (Kullu) B. M. Nanta told IANS that the bodies were brought to the Marhi base camp, some 35 km from here, Wednesday evening.

"All the four bodies are yet to be recognised. Two of these are badly decomposed," he said.

Over 75 people, mostly labourers, were caught in strong winds Nov 20 near the Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) when they were coming from the Lahaul Valley in Lahaul and Spiti district towards Manali on foot.

Ten died on the spot while the others survived. They had been stranded across the valley since Nov 9 due to heavy snowfall in the region. While nine bodies were recovered Nov 21, one was found Nov 22.

"The entire Rohtang Pass right now is under a thick blanket of snow. From October onwards, it's not advisable to cross the pass even in a vehicle," said Mahavir Thakur, deputy director of Manali-based Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.

He said the labourers crossed the pass despite warnings issued by the institute's rescue post at Koksar in the Lahaul Valley. Moreover, they were not properly geared to cross the pass. (IANS)

The institute has set up two temporary posts - one at Koksar and the second at Marhi - to provide timely assistance to stranded motorists in case of heavy snowfall in the area.

Rohtang Pass, 52 km from here, connects Manali with the Lahaul valley via Koksar. It has been closed to traffic since Nov 9.

The weather at the Rohtang Pass is harsh. A sudden drop in temperatures even in summer triggers winter-like conditions.