00:00This long-cure vehicles choked the Kullu Manali highway, car stood bumper to bumper and a ribbon of headlights frozen in the snow.
00:11This is Himachal Pradesh after fresh snowfall, a scene that is fast becoming familiar every winter.
00:17Over the last 48 hours, Manali witnessed continuous snowfall pulling in visitors desperate to experience the winter wonderland.
00:24But the snow that brought joy also brought chaos.
00:26The people here have been a lot more. There have been a lot of jams here.
00:31For the last few years, there is no one. When the jams will not open, the snow will not disappear.
00:35The road is very bad.
00:36Along the Kullu Manali stretch on National Highway 3, vehicles were stranded for hours.
00:41Long queues sneaked across snow-covered roads.
00:44Some tourists, who arrived late at night, spent the entire night inside their cars, unable to move forward, unable to turn back.
00:51We are not able to fly from hotels. We are not able to fly. We are not able to fly.
00:55By morning, frustration replaced excitement.
00:57We are not able to fly.
01:00And this disruption isn't limited to Manali.
01:03Across Himachal Pradesh, fresh snowfall has blocked over 600 roads in districts including Shimla, Kullu, Lahol-Spiti, Chamba and Kinnaur with snow piling to nearly 4 feet in some areas.
01:15Authorities say heavy machinery has been deployed, but road clearance remains slow and risky.
01:21On the ground, the situation remains tense.
01:23Tourists have been forced to walk long distances to reach populous ports like Shimla's Mall Road.
01:28Emergency movement has slowed and daily life for locals has been thrown off course.
01:32And the danger is real. This viral video from Sonamark in Kashmir shows a car skidding off an icy road injuring three people after the driver lost control on the slippery surface.
01:49So one thing is clear. In the mountains, snowfall is not just a spectacle. It's a test of preparedness. And for now, thousands remain caught in between.
01:58Long.
01:59Long.
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