Fresh snowfall in HP, roads to Kufri, Narkanda closed

Shimla: Several mountainous roads in Himachal Pradesh were closed for vehicles following a fresh bout of snowfall in the state while light rainfall was reported from some areas on Tuesday, officials said.

Sub-zero temperatures were recorded at major tourist destinations of Kufri, Manali and Dalhousie, the Shimla meteorological (MeT) department said.

Keylong was the coldest place in Himachal Pradesh with a minimum temperature of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius, it said

Data recorded at 8.30 am stated that Manali in Kullu district received 9 cm of snowfall, Kalpa in Kinnaur district 4 cm, Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre 2 cm and Shimla 1 cm, the MeT centre's director Manmohan Singh said.

Dharamshala recorded 13.6 mm of rainfall, Palampur 12.4 mm, and Manali and Shimla recorded 2 mm of rainfall each, he said.

Police said roads towards Kufri, Fagu, Kharapathar, Narkanda and Khirki are blocked due to snowfall.

Light vehicles are plying on the Mashobra road but drivers have been warned of slippery areas on the route, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Omapati Jamwal, said.

In case of emergency, people should call helpline numbers '112' and '1077', he said.

Roads in Chopal, Rohru, Kotkhai and Sunni in upper Shimla are also blocked, an official said.

Kalpa recorded a low of minus 7.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Kufri (minus 3.4 degrees Celsius), Dalhousie (minus 2.3 degrees Celsius) and Manali (minus 1.6 degrees Celsius).

The minimum temperature in state capital Shimla was zero degrees Celsius, Singh said.

(PTI)