More than 300 tourists stranded for two days in the Himalayas, following a huge avalanche, have been rescued by troops.
According to the BBC News website, an Indian defence spokesman reported that, after a seven-hour effort to clear the Natu La mountain pass of ice, the tourists were found trapped in deep snow.
The website reports that the Sikkim region, on the India/Tibet border sandwiched in between Nepal and Bhutan, is notorious for avalanches.
One rescued tourist, Praveen Luthra, is quoted as saying: “The troops cleared the road just when we were beginning to give up hope. We were given first aid and oxygen immediately after the rescue, then the troops gave us hot tea and shared their rations with us. It was a close shave for all of us.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
