Shimla:  In a swift daring rescue mission, as many as 256 Tourists stranded at snowclad Chandratal Lake have been evacuated today through the Bathal- Kunjum Pass- Losar road.

All the 256 stranded tourists have reached Losar village safely in Spiti today.

Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh has lauded the remarkable rescue operation led by horticulture minister and Kinnaur Legislature Jagat Singh Negi and CPS and Arki Legislature Sanjay Awasthy.

It is  exemplary  that the two members of the Sukhu Cabinet, Negi, 65, Awasthy 55,  volunteered to undertake the difficult task of reaching out to the stranded tourists in Snow-covered Chandra Taal Lake and Negi and Avasthi led the rescue team of frontline workers and  reached Chandratal Lake in the wee hours of morning at 2:00 AM today when the nature is silent. 

Without losing any time they embarked on a rescue mission and cleared the 14 kilometre long Chandertal Batal Kunjam and Losar Road to make this heroic rescue effort possible. Negi said the tourists have reached Kaza, headquaters of the Spiti sub-division. 

In a number of daring rescue operations as many as 269 lives have been saved.

Not only this,  the rescue team also rescued seven Gaddi shepherds  who go to the Chandra taal Region for grazing their herds of sheep during summer.

But the fate of their herds and Gaddi dogs   remain uncertain because the area has experienced two to three feet of snowfall.

Earlier Indian Air Force aircraft has air lifted 7 sic  trekkers and eight others from the Chandra Taal region.

Chief Minister said that the rescue operation from Shangla is complete as many as 118 tourists have been evacuated and they have been airlifted to Rampur.

Sukhu today took a whirlwind  tour flash flood affected areas of Cholling in Kinnaur, Thunag  in Suraj and other areas and took interacted with the tourists including children, foreigners and Indians at different places and got to know about their well being.

He has assured everyone safety saying that it is their utmost concern.

In Seraj Chief Minister accompanied by HPCongress Vichhar Vibhag Chairman Vijay Pal Singh and other Congress leaders an district officials toured the flash flood inundated Thunag Bazar and nearby village.

He announced to provide rupees one lakh each to the affected families and also directed to channelize the Thunag rivulet so as to avoid such type of mishaps in future.

He has sought to know about  the sources of the flash flood as huge load of logs and trees  were flooded in the shops, houses and bazar.

Sukhu also airdashed to Cholling and Sangla relief flood camps and met with the stranded tourists and army and ITBP jawans.

The government has already evacuated more than 118 tourists stranded  between Karchham  and Sangla and completed the Sangla operation

In late evening hours the rescue teams from Kullu rescued all the stranded tourists from different locations in Kasaol and brought them to the safe locations  in the valley. 

The Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said thousands of relief forces personnel, police forces, local administration and machinery are working day and night to deal with one of the worst nature's fury the state has ever witnessed. The rescue operation is over now the governement would shift its focus on restoration of the logistics.