Carnage At Sela Pass

On our way back from Tawang, we were a little sad that the snow part of the adventure was over. We were having so much fun slipping and sliding our motorcycles. But the notorious Sela pass had something interesting in store for us. While crossing Sela on our way to Tawang, there was snow by the side of the road. But the tarmac was clear.

However, during the three days that we spent at Tawang, there was heavy snowfall on the pass. The previous day vehicles were left stranded and tourist taxis has to be called in from Tawang to rescue tourists from the pass.

The next morning we got news that the pass was reopened by the BRO but the situation wasn’t too good. We thought to ourselves, “Perfect!” and started our motorcycles.

As we rode up we found total carnage on the pass. Four wheelers were in ditches after having slipped on the ice covering the road. We heard from a soldier at the Sela pass cafe that the previous night a car carrying a couple went off the road and crashed into the valley below. Both occupants were killed. The army had a tough time recovering the bodies in the snow storm. This was a grim reminder to us that although we do this for thrill and adventure, the dangers are very real.

The Himalayas can be beautiful in the winter. But they can also be unforgiving.