Indian Army bravado; 680 people rescued from Sela Pass

Following an unexpected heavy snowfall near the high-altitude Sela Pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh since Monday afternoon, nearly 680 people including locals and tourists got stranded in sub-zero temperatures, travelling

Following an unexpected heavy snowfall near the high-altitude Sela Pass near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh since Monday afternoon, nearly 680 people including locals and tourists got stranded in sub-zero temperatures, travelling in 320 vehicles.

People were rescued by Army teams with massive operations continuing late into the night.  Three rescue teams from the nearest base at Baisakhi worked relentlessly till midnight until all people were brought to safety.

Conducting of rescue operations in sub-zero temperatures at an altitude above 13,000 feet in a hazardous terrain under failing ambient lighting conditions posed a formidable challenge for the teams.

It isn’t the first time that such an evacuation has taken place at the treacherous terrain. Around the same time in March 2017, the Indian Army had evacuated 127 people trapped in the Pass following a blizzard.

 

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