Indian Army Rescues Over 2,000 Tourists Stranded In North Sikkim Due To Landslides

Heavy rains lashed North Sikkim on Thursday night which resulted in the overflow of nearby rivers leading to the flash flood that engulfed the highway.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 17 June 2023 3:43 pm

Indian Army conducting rescue operations

After torrential rainfall lashed North Sikkim on Friday, the Indian Army along with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Saturday rescued more than 2,000 tourists after they were stranded due to landslides in the district.

Heavy rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides in North Sikkim and caused road blockages. A bridge near Chungthang was washed away due to the inclement weather. Around 3,500 tourists were stranded in the area.

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Troops of #TrishaktiCorps provided assistance to about 3500
tourists near Chungthang in North #Sikkim stranded due to heavy rains leading to landslides & washing away of bridge on 16 Jun. #IndianArmy along with #BRO established a foot bridge over the river in full spate… pic.twitter.com/BD6601IUXG
— Trishakticorps_IA (@trishakticorps) June 17, 2023

Areas such as Lachen and Lachung in North Sikkim were been cut off from the rest of the state due to flash flood, officials said, adding that it caused severe damage to infrastructure along the highway, making it unsafe for any kind of vehicular movement.

As a result, all tourist permits have been cancelled for Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir, Nathula and North Sikkim till further notice.

The North Sikkim district administration has set up helpline numbers -- 8509822997 / 116464265 -- for people to contact in case of any query about stranded tourists, officials told news agency PTI.