1,000 tourists stuck in Sikkim’s Lachen, Lachung after landslides; 1,500 rescued
Mangan SP Sonam Detchu Bhutia said 1,500 more tourists who were stranded overnight on the roads were rescued on Friday morning
SILIGURI: Around 1,000 tourists in Lachen and Lachung, two high-altitude hill stations in north Sikkim, continue to be stranded due to landslides in the region since Thursday, a senior district police officer said on Friday.
Mangan superintendent of police (SP) Sonam Detchu Bhutia said about 1,500 more tourists, whose vehicles were stranded on the road due to the landslides, were accommodated in nearby villages on Thursday night, and were rescued on Friday. They spent the night in places such as the police station, gurudwara, Indo-Tibetan Border Police camp and in some cases, were hosted by local villagers.
“They were taken out on Friday morning and have already left for Gangtok,” Bhutia told HT.
The district police chief said landslides triggered by continuous rainfall since Thursday afternoon have damaged roads at many places near Munshithang on the way to Lachen from Chungthang and near Lima on the way to Lachung from Chungthang.
A senior district official said tourists, who were in Lachen and Lachung when heavy rains started on Thursday, are still in the hill stations.
The official added that all travel permits for north Sikkim for Friday have been cancelled, including those already issued in advance due to the road condition. The district administration has directed tour operators not to send tourists to north Sikkim under any circumstances till the situation improves.
According to an official communication received on Thursday night, significant landslides have occurred at Munshithang on the Lachen–Chungthang road and at Lema/Bob on the Lachung–Chungthang stretch.
Lachen was among the places in Sikkim that were worst hit due to the October 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood. It was disconnected for almost one and half years. It opened up to tourists this year from March.
