63 airlifted, over 300 rescued by road in Himachal on day 3
Shimla, Sep 27 : Sixty-three people, including three German and 10 women Indian tourists with three children, were airlifted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Himachal Pradesh's snow-ravaged Lahaul valley on Thursday.
Besides, over 300 people were rescued by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) by road also, officials said. The total number of people rescued in the past three days rose to over 1,300, including 18 foreigners.
They were stranded at various locations in the Himalayas for the past five days with heavy snowfall in the region triggering massive landslides that blocked many roads in Lahaul-Spiti district.
With the weather clearing up, search and rescue operation began early for the third day.
"About 400-500 people are still awaiting evacuation. All stranded tourists have been provided food stuff and medical kits and would be evacuated in a day or two, mostly by road as snow clearing operation in Baralacha Pass area is in full swing," a government official told IANS.
A large number of people are reported to be stuck in Suraj Tal lake and Zingzing Bar areas along Keylong-Leh road.
Over 300 labourers of the BRO, a Ministry of Defence wing, involved in construction of roads in forward areas have also been stranded since September 22.
An IAF helicopter spotted 10 women tourists along with three children in Chhota Dara area towards the Kunzum Pass. All of them were rescued by the IAF rescuers led by Squadron Leader Vipul Goyal.
Their male companions were provided with relief material and they would be evacuated later, officials said.
Two Chetak helicopters were additionally deployed on Thursday along with three the IAF choppers to speed up the rescue in the Lahaul valley in the Himalayas. The rescue operation will continue on Friday, too, the official said.
A day earlier, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called him on the phone, that the state has suffered losses totalling approximately Rs 1,250 crore due to the heavy rains.
Modi has assured the state of all possible central assistance.
Early snowfall in the higher reaches, cloudburst and heavy rains devastated large parts of the state from September 22 to 24.
Heavy snowfall on the Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft) has cut off the Lahaul and Spiti valleys affecting a large number of tourists and hampering water and electricity supply. They have been stranded at a number of isolated locations.
The BRO has been clearing the snow from various roads on a war footing. Some stretches had over eight feet of snow.
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Man kills woman lecturer, sets car ablaze; dies by suicide in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): A 46-year-old man allegedly killed a woman lecturer by setting fire to the car with her inside, before dying by suicide; his severed body was found by railway police the next day, police said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Ramanjinappa, a resident of Doddaballapura, was a contract worker in the tahsildar’s office, they said.
Police said the man, who was married and had apparently separated from his wife, was in an illicit relationship with a woman identified as Saroja, whose charred body was found inside a gutted car in an isolated area near the Bashetty Industrial Area in Doddaballapura taluk on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Saroja was also married and had a son, police said.
According to police, on Saturday, the man allegedly borrowed a car from an acquaintance, claiming he had a medical emergency and needed to visit a hospital.
Citing preliminary investigations, a senior police officer said the man picked up the lecturer from a bus stop in Devanahalli. The two spent a couple of hours driving around Nandi Hills and nearby areas.
Later, they reached a secluded spot in Doddaballapura, where it is suspected that an argument ensued inside the car, following which he allegedly hit her on the head with a hammer, the officer said.
He then set the car on fire, reportedly using petrol, and is believed to have died by suicide thereafter, police said.
Locals who saw the burning car alerted the police and fire department, who rushed to the spot, extinguished the fire, and found the woman’s body completely charred inside the vehicle, the officer added.
His severed body was found near railway tracks in Bidadi by the railway police on Sunday, he said.
The motive and whether the crime was premeditated or impulsive are under investigation, he said.
Saroja’s husband filed a complaint accusing Ramanjinappa of killing her, police said, adding that a detailed investigation is underway to establish the exact sequence of events.
