Amid heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh's Manali and Solang valleys, over 1,800 vehicles were stranded on the roads and a social media user was caught in the gridlock to warn others against visiting the region.
On Instagram, Chlucky Tyagi shared a video showing traffic not moving along the Solang Valley-Atal Tunnel route. He urged potential tourists to rethink their plans, saying, “Koi be maat ana! (Don't come!)”
In a video shared on Saturday, December 28, Chlucky Tyagi warned of heavy snowfall expected in the next 3-4 days, predicting worsening road conditions in the region.
Filmed at night, the clip showed a long line of vehicles standing still on snow-covered roads. Tyagi stated that he had been stranded since 10 am and expressed uncertainty as to when or how they would be able to leave the area.
Even a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) vehicle was caught in the same traffic jam with them, Tyagi noted.
Himachal Police reported that many stranded vehicles and tourists have been successfully rescued due to heavy snowfall warnings.
Speaking to ANI, Manali DSP KD Sharma said that a rescue operation was launched after more than 2,000 vehicles got stuck between Solan Valley and Atal tunnel due to bad weather conditions.
Sharma revealed that around 1,800 vehicles have been safely removed and around 200 are still stranded.
Shimla and higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh have been facing continuous heavy rainfall and snowfall for the last two days causing landslides and major disruption to daily life.
The State Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate snowfall in central and higher hills on December 27, 28 and 29.
Light rains are also expected in plains and low hilly areas during this period.
The weather is forecast to remain dry across the country on December 30 and 31, with light snowfall and rain resuming in central and higher mountains on January 1.