Two tourists who got stranded near Ghepan Lake in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district were rescued by a joint team of police, fire services and local guides, officials said on Thursday.
The tourists were stuck at an altitude of around 13,600 feet. Ghepan Lake is located nearly 17 km from Sissu in the tribal district. The rescued tourists have been identified as Ajay Kumar and Harshit Thakur, both from Mandi district.
Officials said that on Tuesday at around 9.40 pm, Ratna Sharma, in-charge of the Keylong sub-fire station, received information from the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) that two tourists were stranded in the area.
Soon after receiving the alert, Sharma formed a rescue team with fire personnel, police staff and local guides. The team was sent to Sissu police station along with the required rescue equipment, officials said.
The joint team, accompanied by three police personnel and a local guide, started the rescue operation on foot at around 11.30 pm. They trekked nearly 13 km through difficult mountain terrain to reach the stranded tourists.
The rescue team located both tourists at around 4 am on Wednesday and safely brought them back to the police station, officials said.
Officials said timely information helped avert a possible tragedy due to extreme cold and adverse weather conditions in the high-altitude region.
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