Arunachal Pradesh: Army rescues 127 tourists stuck in snowstorm at Sela

In a massive rescue operation that continued till late last night, troops of the Blazing Sword Division rescued 127 tourists at the historic Sela Pass near Tawang who had got stuck in a severe snowstorm.

A massive snow blizzard struck yesterday around 2.45 p.m. between Ahirgarh, Sela and Nuranang on the road from Tezpur to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district.

After reports of tourists and transients stuck in the blizzard were received, the local army swung into action and a rescue operation was launched within less than an hour.

With darkness setting in by 5 p.m., the entire operation was almost conducted in the dark and continued till all 127 transients including five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria were rescued.

One Bulgarian national slipped and fell down the steep gorge while she was trying to move on her own. Her mortal remains were recovered at around midnight.

The rescued persons were accommodated at army transit camps and provided with medical assistance and comforts.

The road had about 2-3 feet of snow and was opened for traffic today by the Border Roads Organisation.

All vehicles were recovered and the transients left for their respective destinations.