Shimla/Bilaspur: About 350 stranded Manimahesh pilgrims were on Friday evacuated from Bharmaur to Chamba in Himachal Pradesh by IAF helicopters, officials said.
Hundreds of pilgrims are still stranded in different parts of Chamba district, especially in Bharmaur Assembly constituency, which has been disconnected by roads following several landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rain in the last week of August, local sources said.
Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, Mukesh Repaswal said two helicopters of IAF have been pressed into service and all the stranded pilgrims would be evacuated on Friday.
Seventeen pilgrims have died so far since the start of Manimahesh Yatra on August 15 and hundreds of pilgrims are still stranded in different parts of Chamba district especially Bharmaur area.