26 adventurers from Hyderabad have been trapped in a homestay for 4 days in flood-hit Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
Members of Hyderabad Adventure Club from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who are stuck in Himachal Pradesh rains. (Supplied)
Harsha Gunturi, a hardware engineer working in Hyderabad, started out on a 12-day trip with his friends-cum-adventure group on 5 July.
The next morning, the group of 26 men reached Chandigarh, hired motorbikes, and began the over 270 km road trip to Manali.
Harsha and his friends were off on what they hoped would be a memorably ride through the stunning landscapes of Manali, Ladakh, Kargil, Srinagar and, Jammu — covering over 1,300 km in all.
Little did they knew that the trip would be memorable alright, but not quite in the way they anticipated.
“We had started from Manali and reached Keylong, one of our destinations. The next destination was Sarchu. We were supposed to say there for the night and then travel on to Leh,” a worried Harsha told South First over the phone on Tuesday, 11 July.
It has been four days now — since 8 July — that he and his group of adventurers have been trapped in the Rabzan homestay in Darcha village in Himachal Pradesdh’s Lahaul-Spiti district that is currently ravaged by heavy rains, landslides, and flash floods.
Darcha village is around 100 km from Manali, which is also reeling under rain fury and floods that have created havoc, claiming over a dozen lives, and damaging several roads, bridges, shops, and houses.
Most of the group members are either from Telangana or Andhra Pradesh. But all of them are working in Hyderabad, mostly in the IT sector.
Harsha and the group could not communicate with their families or relief and rescue authorities until 11 July, when the network was restored in some of their mobile phones.
Harsha and his friends. (Supplied)
“Today the network has been there the whole day. But only Jio sim’s network is available. Other networks are not working. Half of us have the Jio network,” said Harsha, a native of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.
He expressed happiness that he and others could finally speak to their families.
Before reaching the homestay, Harsha’s group was divided into two separate sub-groups on 8 July while on their way to Sarchu, a hamlet in the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway.
“The two groups got separated due to the heavy rainfall. The first group wanted to go to Sarchu, but the police did not allow them. So they were stuck at Darcha check post and were trying to find a place to stay before they got this one,” Harsha said.
The other group, with around 13-14 members, including Harsha, were stuck in Baralacha La and reached the homestay separately the next day. “Some of us reached on 9 July morning, and others around evening,” Harsha recollected.
He also recounted harrowing moments of witnessing landslides — including a shop crumbling into the floodwaters.
“Around a kilometer away from our homestay, the river is flooded and the road is not clear, so we cannot leave,” lamented Harsha.
On their way to the Sarchu, several of them encountered heavy snow in Baralacha La without proper gear.
Rabzang homestay in Lahaul and Spiti where Harsha and his friends are staying. (Supplied)
“There was one to 1.5 feet snow with the temperature between zero and one degree. Some could not ride bikes as their hands got frozen. Some were seeing such heavy snow for the first time and were frightened. We did not have the correct gear as we did not anticipate snow and heavy rainfall before coming here,” Harsha explained.
While earlier many of the group members suffered from headaches, nausea, and breathing issues — symptoms of high-altitude sickness — the number has reduced now. “A few people are still facing these issues. The good thing is everyone has their own antibiotics, and the trip leaders are carrying medical kits,” he said.
Another major challenge they have been facing is the lack of power, which was disrupted, leaving several areas of the state without electricity.
“There is no power. The owner switches on the generator every day for two to three hours so that we can charge our electronic devices,” Harsha said.
At least 1,743 transformers have been affected in the state with several hydropower projects shut.
Harsha and his friends. (Supplied)
Meanwhile, the whole lot, squeezed into three medium-sized rooms with around seven to eight people in each, has just a single washroom.
The only respite for group during these hard times was that there is no dearth of food.
“The weather today is better, with a little sun after many days of continuous rainfall,” Harsha said.
The group is now eagerly waiting to return home somehow. “We hear that the roads might not open for another two to 10 days. So, we are not sure how to proceed. We just want to get back to Hyderabad,” Harsha said.
The Chandigarh-Manali national highway (NH 44) has been reportedly shut following massive landslides along the swollen Beas river in Himachal Pradesh.
It was his friend and group mate, Pranay Yekkaladevi’s SOS post on Twitter that went viral and caught the attention of Telangana IT and MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao. He directed the Resident Commissioner’s Office at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi to provide all the possible assistance to the group.
@KTRBRS Sir, we are a group 30 members from hyderabad, came on a trip to Manali – Ladhak trip. But we are stuck at Darcha due to landslides on either sides, i.e, towards Manali and towards Baralacha pass.
We have no where to go. It’s been 4 days since we have stranded here.
— Pranay (@TagzhoBeler) July 11, 2023
Officials from Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi contacted Pranay after KTR directed them on social media and shared their contact details.
Our @TS_Bhavan has reached out to the local HP district administration. They will be helping you return safely back
If you need anything in the interim, please contact
The control room in Telangana Bhavan New Delhi.Contact Persons :
Mr. Rakshith
Mob: 9643723157PS to RC ,… https://t.co/dvGmFVs0Sj
— KTR (@KTRBRS) July 11, 2023
“They noted our details and trip itinerary. They said that they were trying to contact local administration and to figure out which route is open,” Harsha told South First.
He said that the Telangana Bhavan officials have added all of them to a WhatsApp group.
“Other natives of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — people stuck at other places in Himachal Pradesh — are also there in the WhatsApp group,” Harsha pointed out.
A Telangana Bhavan official in New Delhi told South First that they are in touch the state authorities, including the police in Lahaul-Spiti district.
“We have asked for the possibilities of an airlift evacuation as many stranded people have requested us do so. The routes are being cleared at the moment. If there is a possibility that way, the local administration will let us know,” the official explained.
Harsha and his friends have asked the Telangana Bhavan officials to keep them updated about the opening of routes so that they can act immediately.
“We were thinking of going to Leh and taking a flight. If that is not possible, we want to go back to Chandigarh.”
As of 8 pm on 11 July, a total of 52 people from the two Telugu states were stranded due to the natural disaster that struck some northern states, the Telangana Bhavan official said.
“Some other tourists are stranded on the Amarnath Yatra route. They completed had the pilgrimage and were on their way back. Some others are stuck at Hidimba Devi Temple (Manali district) and even in Uttarakhand,” the official said.
Six students from St Mary’s College in Yousufguda, and five doctors from Osmania Medical College, including Dr Banoth Kamal Lal, Dr Rohith Suri, and Dr Srinivas, are reportedly stuck in different places in Himachal Pradesh, including Kullu, Manali, and Kasol.
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