Manali, March 17 -- Border Roads Organisation operation is underway at the South Portal following heavy snowfall at the Atal Tunnel in Manali and the upper reaches of Kullu district since Monday afternoon, an official said.

"Since yesterday afternoon, there has been heavy snowfall at Atal Tunnel in Manali and the upper reaches of the district, and since yesterday itself, BRO's operation is being enforced at the south portal of the tunnel," Deputy Commissioner of Kullu, Anurag Chand Sharma, told ANI.

More than a thousand vehicles are stranded near the South Portal of the Atal Tunnel in Manali due to sudden snowfall, resulting in large-scale police deployment to conduct rescue operations for the past three hours, the police said on Sunday...