Kasaragod: Forty-five students and two teachers from the College of Engineering, Trikaripur, are stranded near Manali after landslides triggered by snowfall and rain blocked NH 3. Their bus has been stuck in traffic on the Manali-Kullu road near the Green Tax Barrier — Manali’s toll plaza for out-of-state vehicles — since 8 pm on Friday, February 28, said Anoop P V, the assistant professor accompanying the group.

"Around 40 minutes after leaving Manali, we got caught in the jam. We can now see JCBs clearing the debris," Anoop told Onmanorama around noon on Saturday, March 1.

Despite being stranded for over 16 hours, the students are managing well, he said. "They have snacks and packed food from home, and there are toilets nearby."

According to government officials, landslides blocked around 583 roads, including five highways, across Himachal Pradesh on Friday.

The group, comprising 23 female and 20 male third-year computer science BTech students, along with teachers Sneha V V and Anoop P V, began their college trip on February 21. They travelled by train to Delhi and then hired a bus to explore Himachal Pradesh. "We were supposed to reach Delhi on Friday morning and spend the day touring the city," Anoop said.

Now, their priority is reaching Delhi in time for the Mangala Lakshadweep Superfast Express, scheduled to depart at 5.35 am on Sunday, March 2. If the road clears, the journey from the Green Tax Barrier to Delhi will take about 10 hours, he said.