Manali, Nov 22 (IANS) Nine bodies that were retrieved from the snow near the Rohtang Pass were brought to this town in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district Sunday evening, an official said.
Rescue workers Saturday found the bodies buried under snow in the Rohtang heights at around 13,050 feet and brought them to the Marhi base camp, some 35 km from here, in the evening.

The tragedy, which happened Friday, followed days of heavy snow in the region.

“All the nine bodies that were recovered from the snow Saturday from the Rohtang Pass reached Manali this (Sunday) evening. The post mortem would be conducted tomorrow (Monday),” Additional Divisional Magistrate R.K. Pruthi told IANS.

According to him, the bodies were kept at the base camp as darkness set in and weather turned hostile Saturday.

“Since the road connectivity to the base camp was closed due to recent snow, the bodies were carried by porters for four to five km. Later, these were transported in a vehicle,” he said.

Over 75 people, mostly labourers of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF), were caught in strong winds near the Rohtang Pass when they were coming from the Lahaul valley in Lahaul and Spiti district towards Manali. Nine died on the spot while the others survived. They had been stranded across the valley since Nov 9 due to heavy snowfall.

“The entire Rohtang Pass right now is under a thick blanket of snow. From October onwards, it’s not advisable to cross the pass even in a vehicle,” Mahavir Thakur, the deputy director of Manali-based Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, said.

He said the labourers crossed the pass despite warnings issued by the institute’s rescue post at Koksar in the Lahaul Valley. Moreover, they were not properly geared to cross the pass.

The institute has set up two temporary posts to provide timely assistance to the stranded motorists in case of heavy snowfall in the area. One post has been set up at Koksar and the second at Marhi.

Rohtang Pass, 52 km from here, connects Manali with the Lahaul valley via Koksar. It has been closed to traffic since Nov 9.

The weather at the Rohtang Pass is harsh. A sudden drop in temperatures even in summer triggers winter-like conditions.