Actor Manju Warrier and rest of the cast and the crew of Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s latest film, who were stranded in Himachal Pradesh after landslides and heavy rains, have been moved to safety, according to reports. The 30-odd crew members were stranded at the shooting location in Himachal Pradesh’s Chhatru, as the access road collapsed after a landslip.
NDTV reported that the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur told the media that they were evacuated from the location, adding, "They were warned earlier. But perhaps they didn't pay attention to the request and insisted (on staying back).”
Speaking to TNM, Manju’s brother Madhu said that they are being evacuated to a base camp. The 30-odd members of the film crew were stranded at the shooting location in Himachal Pradesh’s Chhatru, as the access road collapsed after a landslip.
“They have to walk 22 kms. I think they are being evacuated to the base camp from where they will have vehicle access,” Madhu Warrier told TNM.
Madhu had earlier stated that Manju had made an SOS call to him, saying the team was experiencing a shortage of food as they are unable to move from the shooting location. The crew has been shooting in Manali for almost three weeks. However, a heavy landslide three days ago had cut off the Dharamshala-Kangra road near Chhatru. Chhatru is a small village on the way to Kaza, a popular tourist location in the Spiti Valley.
Madhu had also told TNM that Manju was not even aware that floods had happened in Kerala and that her mother's house had been affected too. "She had called me three weeks ago when they reached Manali and told me that she would be out of range. On Monday, she called me from a satellite phone and told me to get help."
According to reports, around 2000 tourists are stranded in different parts of Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh. Chhatru is a small village on the way to Kaza, a popular tourist location in the Spiti valley.