Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared a video of a group of tourists stranded at Arunachal Pradesh’s Sela Pass. As per the video shared by Rijiju, the tourists fell into extremely cold waters after the ice on a frozen lake cracked.
Sharing the 51-second long video, Rijiju said on X: “At Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh. My advice to tourists: Walk on the Frozen Lakes with experienced people, drive carefully on slippery snow roads and be aware of snow avalanche. Temperatures is freezing so wear warm clothes and enjoy. Your safety is important.”
The sudden collapse caused panic but a major mishap was averted due to the quick action by bystanders. Armed with bamboo sticks, they successfully rescued the tourists.
The video went viral on social media, with netizens urging tourists to keep safety as the topmost priority. A user said: “Over enthusiasm and lack of knowledge of local terrain proves to be fatal more often than not. They were lucky!”
“Please provide a warning sign board should be there for the safety of people (sic),” a second user said. “Mad unregulated rush of tourists in pristine states is a disaster in making.. will affect the people and nature of mountains.. Strict policy and regulated numbers are required,” another user wrote.
Some users also shared their experiences at the Sela Pass and other places.
“My personal experience from this place… as soon as people go there they become more adventurous and try to go as far as possible like a competition… a couple of people fell into the water even when we visited last year,” a user commented.
“Sir, this actually happened with me in Ladakh at the junction of river Indus and river Zanskar. It was around X’mas and river had frozen. I started walking over it and then ice broke & I plunged into the frigid water! Thankfully my dad and brother pulled me out safely,” another user wrote.
