MANALI,Jan17: Fresh snow has blocked highways and snapped power in many areas of Kullu, Mandi and Lahaul & Spiti districts. Commuters and tourists are being forced to wade through blankets of snow, though snowplows have been in operation for long. There seems to be no end to the snow blizzard that has continued to grip the region, disrupting normal life. Thick snow has snapped most electricity lines and telephone cables. Things remained rosy for hoteliers, who went on with their brisk businesses as about 200 tourists, who were on their way from Delhi to Manali on Sunday night, arrived for shelter after they were unable to fight the snow blizzard. Many of them parked their vehicles by the roadsides and hired local cabs to reach their accommodations. Snowfall has led to more than a dozen minor accidents though no casualties have been reported. Flights from Bhunter airport remained cancelled, forcing travellers to spend extra while opting for four-wheel drive vehicles. For the 40km journey from Manali to Kullu, cabs charge Rs 100 a person, but now they accept Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 per person. A visitor from Chandigarh, Manpreet Singh, had a narrow escape when the car in which he and his seven friends were travelling, fell into a gorge after skidding on a layer of snow on the road. "I firmly applied brakes to halt my vehicle from hitting the car in the front, but it skidded and rolled down the gorge below. We are lucky to be safe." Breaking a 19-year record, every area of Kullu district, from Manali to Bajaura, received snowfall. Kullu and Bhunter towns received four and two inches of snow, while Manali was buried under 1.5 feet snow. Over 3 feet of snow accumulated at Solang ski-slopes in 36 hours. Rohtang Pass has received more than 15 feet of snow this season. Darcha, Keylong, and Kokhsar in Lahaul-Spiti district received two, one-and-a-half feet, and nine inches of snow respectively.