ITBP rescues 413 Kinnaur Kailash devotees in Himachal

Shimla: As many as 413 devotees were on Wednesday rescued and moved to safe places in Himachal Pradesh’s mountainous Kinnaur district by an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team from the 17th Battalion using the rope-based traverse crossing technique.

They had been stranded after flashfloods en route to the Kinnaur Kailash pilgrimage, a largely uphill pilgrimage, since Tuesday.

Subsequently, the local administration temporarily stopped the pilgrimage.

Every year, pilgrims undertake the arduous trek to the Himalayas to have a view of Mount Kailash, known as the winter abode of Lord Shiva.

As per the ITBP, the pilgrims were rescued from the Tangling area along the Kinnaur Kailash yatra route, where a flash flood washed away a large part of the trekking path, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded.

The rescue operation was carried out by one Gazetted Officer, four Subordinate Officers, and 29 other ranks of the ITBP, in coordination with one team of 14 of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

On receiving a distress call from the Kinnaur administration on Wednesday morning about more stranded pilgrims, the ITBP and NDRF search and rescue teams were again mobilised to the site and are continuing the operations, said the ITBP in a statement.

The 10-day annual Kinnaur Kailash pilgrimage, dedicated to Lord Shiva’s 79-ft vertical rock Shiva Lingam, was stopped after several bridges at Tanglippi and Kangarang were washed away due to the increased water flow in the streams.

“Besides, most of the trekking paths have become either dangerously slippery or have suffered landslides, posing a serious threat to the safety of pilgrims. Therefore, in view of these adverse conditions, the Kinnaur Kailash Yatra is being temporarily suspended until further orders,” the Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) posted in Kalpa said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a weather warning on Wednesday, forecasting light to moderate rain at most places in Himachal Pradesh, with a few spells of intense to very intense rain likely in Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur and Mandi districts.

Authorities in Shimla’s six subdivisions — Chopal, Kumarsain, Rampur, Sunni, Jubbal and Theog — have ordered the closure of all educational institutes, including government and private schools, colleges, ITIs, and anganwaris.

IANS