Mandi: Landslides Disrupt NH, Groom and Wedding Party Stuck in Traffic Jam

Mandi, July 12 – The relentless monsoon continues to wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district. Overnight rainfall has once again triggered multiple landslides along the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway, causing significant disruption. A major slide occurred near Dayod in Pandoh, where a groom and his wedding party were stranded in the resulting traffic jam.

With vehicles unable to move due to heavy debris, the groom had to be picked up by a taxi from the Kullu side and sent ahead to ensure the wedding ceremony could proceed without further delay. The rest of the wedding party had no choice but to wait in the jam until the road was cleared.

According to reports, the landslide struck around 11 PM on Friday night and the road was cleared only by 10 AM Saturday. Heavy rains since last evening have triggered slides at multiple points along the highway, with Dayod near Magar Nala being one of the worst affected spots.

The groom’s relative, Dayaram Thakur, shared that the wedding procession had left Dudar for Jwalapur at 3 AM. By 4 AM, the group reached Kaenchimod, and after navigating around several landslide-affected spots, they arrived at Magar Nala, where a significant amount of debris had blocked the road. With no immediate way through, police from the Pandoh outpost escorted the groom and a few relatives out on foot. A taxi was arranged from the Kullu side to take them to Jwalapur in time for the wedding rituals.

Mandi SP Sakshi Verma confirmed that all vehicles trapped in the jam are being safely moved. She noted that frequent landslides have been reported across this stretch of the NH due to continuous rainfall and advised motorists to proceed with extreme caution.