Union Minister Kiran Rijiju shared a video of a group of tourists stranded at Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh. According to the video shared by Rijiju, the ice on a frozen lake cracked and the tourists fell into the extremely cold water.
Sharing the 51-second-long video, Rijiju said on X: “At Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh. My advice to tourists: Walk in frozen lakes with experienced people, drive carefully on slippery snow roads, beware of snow avalanches. Temperature is low. Freezing So it is essential to wear warm clothes and protect yourself.”
The sudden collapse caused panic, but due to the quick action of the bystanders, a major accident was averted. Armed with bamboo, they successfully rescued the tourists.
The video went viral on social media, with netizens urging travelers to keep safety a priority. One user said: “Enthusiasm and lack of local terrain knowledge often prove fatal. Lucky them!”
“Please provide a warning sign that should be there (sic) for people's safety,” said a second user. “Crazy overcrowding of tourists in ancient states is a disaster.. will affect the people and nature of the hills.. strict policies and regulated numbers are needed,” another user wrote.
Some users also shared their experiences at Sela Pass and other places.
“My personal experience here… people get adventurous as soon as they get there and try to go as far as they can like a race… last year when we went too, a few people fell into the water,” commented a user.
“Lord, this actually happened to me at the confluence of the Indus River and the Sanskar River in Ladakh. It was around Christmas and the river was frozen. I started walking on it and then the ice broke and I fell into the cold water! Thank you my father and Bro got me out safely,” another user wrote.