MEIL's team saves 16 stranded in snowfall

Hyderabad: A six-member rescue team of Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) saved the lives of 16 workers and 18 ponies, stranded in Domail village 16 km from Sonmarg in Jammu and Kashmir region during the sudden snowfall on Sunday.

MEIL is executing the Zoji La tunnel in the area and its camp office is just 2-km away from Domail village. The upper reaches of the region received the highest snowfall in 35 years on October 23-24. The area received 12-inches of snow.

The district administration sent out an SOS message to the MEIL. Responding to the SOS, the company has deployed an experienced six-member rescue team to conduct rescue operations. The stranded 16 engineers and workers had travelled on ponies to execute electricity works on the route to Amarnath cave.

MEIL's rescue team cleared the snow with the help of a JCB Dozer. Four drive vehicles were deployed to carry out the rescue operation for five hours from 1 pm on Sunday. While rescue operations were in progress, food and firewood were given to the stranded group. Besides saving the lives of the workers, MEIL's rescue team also saved the lives of ponies.

Sonamarg-Baltal, primarily close Zoji la pass area, has not witnessed heavy snowfall after 1986. The road, which was closed on October 23-24 due to heavy snowfall, is reopened after the rescue operation.