At least 35 students from IIT Roorkee have gone missing in in Lahul Spiti of Himachal Pradesh, while taking part in a trekking expedition.
Quoting the father of one of the missing students, ANI reported that the students from IIT Roorkee had gone for trekking to Hamta pass in Kullu and were expected to return to Manalai. However, according to Rajvir Singh, the father of one of the missing students Ankit Bhati, they have lost contact with them.
Meanwhile, incessant downpour in the region have left at least five people dead and many injured. Heavy rains lashed Kullu, Kangra and Chamba districts of Himachal Pradesh on Monday, the officials said.
Faced with incredibly adverse weather, the authorities in the state have closed the schools in Kangra, Kullu and Hamirpur districts on Tuesday (today).
Flash floods have also swept away many houses with reports suggesting that the Beas is flowing at a dangerous level. Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur has reportedly cautioned people against going near rivers and nullahs.
The state has reported a number of landslides during the current adverse weather.
Meanwhile, a group of eight people, including a woman from Brunei Sanjida Tuba and a man from The Netherlands, Abby Lim, are also reported to have gone missing from Lahaul-Spiti region. The gorup also consisted of six Indian nationals, identified as Priyanka Vora, Payal Desai, Dipika, Divya Aggarwal, Abhinav Chandel and Ashok, the report by ANI added.