Shimla, Aug 2 (TIWN) All 194 people, including women and children, stranded in the Himalayan heights of Himachal Pradesh for five days after roads closed down due to flash floods were rescued on Sunday, both by air and road, officials said.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur deployed his newly-acquired 16-seater chopper for ferrying people, comprising tourists, stranded in Udaipur subdivision in Lahaul-Spiti district.  As the weather cleared on Sunday after days, he directed authorities to make the chopper's maiden flight for the evacuation. Nineteen people were airlifted and the remaining 175 were evacuated by road with restoration of traffic.

Thakur, who reached Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti, on Saturday to oversee the ongoing relief and rescue operations, also decided to return to the capital on Sunday in his old four-seater chopper so that the new one can be deployed to ferry the stranded people.  The evacuation was carried out from Udaipur, Fuda, Trilokinath, and Jahlman and the people were transported to Manali in public transport.