NEW DELHI, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A group of 50 trekkers, including 35 students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, who had gone missing in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh due to inclement weather, have been located safe, officials said.
Confirming the safety of the trekkers, the state's Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the trekkers were located in Sissu area of Lahaul-Spiti district.
Local media said earlier that at least 45 people were reported missing.
The group had gone for trekking to the Hampta Pass and were supposed to return to Manali hill station.
The area has been facing heavy rains and snowfall for the past few days, due to which hundreds of tourists and trekkers have been stranded in Lahaul-Spiti.
As many as 120 people who were stranded in Kokhsar of Lahaul-Spiti will be airlifted to Kullu, and around 350 people stranded in Baralacha areas of Manali and Leh will be rescued later.
Rescue and relief work is being carried out in the affected areas. Around 12 people stranded in various tourist spots such as Kothi, Palchan, Solangnala have been safely brought to Manali.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) spokesman told Xinhua that two German nationals who were stuck in Pingdom La in the Lahaul-Spiti district were also rescued. They had been caught in a blizzard since the past two days.
