Two trekkers stranded at snowbound Kalihani Pass in Himachal Pradesh had been rescued by a seven-member staff, Kullu administration stated on Monday.

The 4,800-metre-high go connects Kullu valley to distant Bara Bhangal area in Kangra district.

The trekkers have been recognized as Sneha from Maharashtra and Peter Vein from Belgium, who had been rescued by the seven-member rescue staff comprising members from Adventure Tour Operators Association (ATOA), Kullu, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) ), Manali.

“Both trekkers are safe and being brought to Manali,” stated Surender Thakur, Manali subdivisional Justice of the Peace.

The advance staff members reached the spot final evening, he added. “One of the trekkers, Sneha, 23, suffered from snow blindness and had to be carried all the way down,” Thakur stated.

“Peter Vein, who was accompanying her, had put out an SOS. The trekkers had run out of food after they took refuge under a rock for three days,” he added.

“Our team made concerted efforts to rescue the trekkers though there was a forecast of snowstorm in the region,” stated Praveen Sood, secretary, Adventure Tour Operators Association.