Mandi, February 13: The Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked for traffic on Wednesday morning owing to a massive landslide at Aut in Mandi district.
Traffic has been diverted via Katola between Mandi and Kullu till the road is cleared for traffic. The road is expected to be cleared only by afternoon as big boulders from the hill have fallen on the road.
A machine of National Highway Authority of India got struck in the landslide but no loss of life was reported. Several buses and heavy vehicles have been stranded on the Chandigarh-Manali highway as the alternative route via Katola is not fit for heavy vehicles.
Commuters travelling in buses were stranded in the region for hours.
The district administration has engaged workers and machinery to restore the road at the earliest.
Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur urged people to move via Katola for the time being.
Police from both Kullu and Mandi sides has been deployed to monitor the situation.
These days, construction work on the Chandigarh-Manali highway is in progress, which is a cause of frequent landslides between Mandi and Kullu.
