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Shimla: As many as 80 people, including 11 tourists have been stranded at Batal in tribal district Lahaul and Spiti of Himachal Pradesh for the last five days, a disaster management official said on Thursday.
The tourists were on a visit to the Chandratal lake area on October 17. As it snowed, Gramphu-Kaza highway got blocked and the tourists could not move out of the area.
The matter came to notice on Wednesday night, when some relatives of these stranded tourists informed the district administration that they were unable to contact their kin who were on an excursion to Lahaul and Spiti.
Althoug, the district administration conducted a recce with the help of army chopper to locate the "missing" tourists near Chandratal and Batal area, they could not be traced. Rescue teams were also sent from Spiti and Lahaul to find them. Finally, the rescue team from the Spiti side today noticed the stranded tourists at Batal, camping at a safe place.
They are staying at the PWD rest house and Chacha-Chachi Ka Dhabha at Batal, the official said.
A plan has been chalked out to take them to safer places in 4x4 vehicles on Friday, he added.