INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Keylong in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul-Spiti district received fresh snowfall on Monday
(ANI)New Delhi: Forty-five people, including 35 students from Roorkee's Indian Institute of Technology, who had gone trekking in Himachal
Pradesh's mountainous Lahaul and Spiti district are missing after heavy snowfall in the region, news agency ANI reported late on
Monday.Rajvir Singh, father of one of the students, told ANI that the group had gone for a trek to the Hampta pass and were supposed to
return to the popular tourist hub of Manali
However, they have been unable to contact the group so far.Himachal Pradesh has seen heavy rain and snowfall in many areas
At least five people were killed and many have been injured in separate incidents as heavy rains lashed Kullu, Kangra and Chamba districts
on Monday, the officials said.Four people, including a girl, died in Kullu, while a man died in Kangra district as heavy rains triggered
flash floods and landslides in many parts of the state Monday.Schools have been directed to remain closed in Kangra, Kullu and Hamirpur
districts on Tuesday as a precautionary measure, they said.As the water level in rivers and streams increased following the incessant rain,
a man was swept away by the swelling Nahad Khad (rivulet) in Kangra, the district administration said.Several houses were also swept away in
flash floods as the Beas is flowing at a dangerous level, Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur said, cautioning people against going near
rivers and nullahs.The district administration has sounded a "high alert" in Kullu where initial loss of property in recent rains has been
estimated at over Rs 20 crore.All adventurous sport activities, including paragliding, have been banned in Kullu, district Tourism
Development Officer BS Negi said.Hamirpur, Kangra and Kullu officials have ordered all government and private schools and colleges to be
closed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
