Army rescues 127 tourists in Arunachal

The Army has rescued 127 tourists stranded at the Sela Pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said on Sunday.

"Troops of Blazing Sword Division rescued 127 tourists from near Tawang, about 280 km from Tezpur," Defence Spokesperson (Kolkata) Wing Commander S.S. Birdi said.

The rescue operation started on Saturday night and continued till the early hours of Sunday. Those rescued included five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand and Bulgaria.

The tourists were trapped after a massive snow blizzard struck around 2.45 p.m. on Saturday between Ahirgarh, Sela and Nuranang on the Tezpur-Tawang road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Birdi said.

The body of a Bulgarian national, who fell into a gorge, was recovered around midnight.

The rescued persons were accommodated at the Army transit camps and provided with medical assistance.

The road, with about 2-3 feet of snow, was opened by the Border Roads Organisation for traffic on Sunday and all vehicles of the stranded tourists were recovered.

Most of the rescued persons have since left for their respective destinations, Birdi added.

--IANS

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