Shimla, The search and rescue operation for the remaining two missing soldiers who were trapped after an avalanche in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district was called off on Thursday with the recovery of their bodies.

The bodies of Videsh Chand and Arjun Kumar were recovered after 22 days of search, a defence spokesperson told .

Shimla, A western disturbance over Himachal Pradesh brought more snowfall to popular destinations Manali and Dalhousie on Tuesday, and lashed the state capital with rain.

The minimum temperature here was 3.3 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 3.8 degrees in Manali and 2.1 degrees in Dalhousie in Chamba district.

Manali and Dalhousie saw 9 cm and 2 cm snowfall, respectively.

Shimla, If you are heading to Himachal Pradesh this weekend, be alert: the weatherman on Friday predicted widespread rains and snowfall in the next two days.

The government has warned tourists not to venture to high hills as chances of roads snapping owing to rain and snow are more.

Motorists are being told to be cautious while driving in the interiors as chances of road cave-ins and landslides are high.

Shimla, The cold wave intensified in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday with several places in the state witnessing more spells of snow in the past 24 hours.

The temperature remained near the freezing point in many places, an India Meteorological Department official here told .

Shimla, The weather office on Sunday forecast a fresh spell of rain and snowfall to lash Himachal Pradesh from February 26-27.

Himachal Pradesh has been witnessing regular spells of snowfall with bone-chilling conditions this winter with weather experts saying that this was a normal phenomenon.

"This winter season (November to February) we are seeing frequent and intense western disturbances in the Himalayan region in comparison to the previous winter (2017-18)," India Meteorological Department Scientist 

Shimla, With the weather clearing up on Saturday following days of snowfall, rescuers sped up their search efforts near the Tibet border in Himachal Pradesh, where an avalanche killed a soldier and five more went missing earlier this week.

The authorities suspect that the possibility of survival of those trapped in the snow pile was minimal as the searches entered the fourth day.

Shimla, The Himachal Pradesh capital on Tuesday received snowfall, leading to a surge in tourist footfalls as the visitors flocked to enjoy the snow-covered landscape.

"Shimla and its nearby areas have been experiencing snowfall since early (Tuesday) morning," an official of the Meteorological Department here told IANS.

In a bid to promote sports at grassroot level, Member of Parliament & President Hockey Himachal Anurag Thakur invited Former Captain of the Indian National Hockey Sardara Singh for a motivational talk and on ground session with budding hockey players of Hamirpur Parliamentary. Talking during the event, Sardara Singh said, “I am thankful to Sh. Anurag Thakur ji for inviting me to meet these extremely talented players of Hockey Himachal. The motive of this session is to help these budding players identify their strengths. I believe that everyone is his/her own coach as each player is well aware of their weaknesses and know best ‘what to improve’. While a mentor can help in giving a direction and helping on ‘how to improve’ the shortcomings. Anurag ji has been actively promoting sports across disciplines and endeavors to ensure that each player gets a platform to showcase his talent and skills. I am extremely delighted to meet these players of Hamirpur Parliamentary as their skills, knowledge is testament that they have been trained well and are getting the required facilities for excelling in the sport.”

Shimla, The hills of Himachal Pradesh on Monday saw partly cloudy skies with the Met Office forecasting rain and more snowfall this week.

The Manali-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) has advised locals and tourists to take precaution while travelling in high hills, especially tourist resorts in the Manali region, as chances of snow avalanches is high.

"There are chances of widespread rainfall and snowfall in the state on February 14," a meteorological official told IANS.

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Rajeev Bindal has been diagnosed positive for swine flu on Thursday.

"I am diagnosed swine flu and the members are requested to take due medical precautions," he informed the House after a day-long business.

Earlier, Congress legislator and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was also diagnosed positive for swine flu.