Honeymoon in Himachal snow turns fatal
2 Dec 2007, 1314 hrs IST,Jagdish Bhatt,TNN

SHIMLA: A couple on honeymoon is sure to soak in the proximity of a
snowy white mountaintop. So did Delhi residents Sanjeev Negi and his
wife Neetu, on their honeymoon to Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

But a heavy snowfall on Friday turned fatal for them when they were
returning to Manali from Rohtang Pass, which is at a height of 13,000
ft from sea level and 4 km from Manali. Due to snow on the road, their
cab skidded off into the valley killing them on the spot. However, the
driver escaped with minor injuries.

According to Kullu Police, the weather was clear till about 11 am and
that's why local cab drivers drove up the tourists to snow point at
Rohtang Pass. But, the weather, according to Kullu ADM Vijay Chandan,
deteriorated suddenly and it started snowing heavily by about 3 pm.

"In just about half-an-hour over six inches of snow piled up at the
Pass and on the road leading to it from both sides. Apparently the cab
in which the young couple was travelling got caught in the middle of
the snow and though the local taxi drivers are used to driving on the
meandering road, the vehicle skidded off the snow and went hurtling
down about half a km from Marhi on the Kullu side," he said.

He said that as soon as the news of almost 500 tourists, most of them
from North India, being stranded at the Rohtang Pass due to heavy
snowfall, reached the district headquarters, the police swing into
action.

"Though the Pass is only about 4 km from Manali, it is a stiff trek
and becomes difficult to reach during snowfall. So a team comprising
members of the 4th Everesters, instructors of the Institute of
Mountaineering and Allied Sports Manali and local police was hurriedly
put together at 6 pm and sent to the Pass to bring back the stranded
tourists," Chandan said.

The ADM said that the team could reach the top only by 7 pm.

"There was over one-and-a-half feet of snow but the men got to their
task and formed a chain helping the tourists to climb down to a point
where 20 Gypsies had been parked to transport them back to Manali.
Till late in the night they managed to get 200 tourists to Manali,
while the remaining 300 stayed overnight at Marhi and brought back to
Manali on Saturday afternoon," he said.

However, most of the vehicles were stranded at the top of the Rohtang
Pass and could now only be retrieved after the snow clears away.



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Varun Rattan Singh
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