Thousands of tourists stranded after landslides hit North Sikkim

Gangtok, April 25 (IANS) More than 1,000 tourists have been stranded in various locations in North Sikkim due to continuous heavy rainfall and landslides.

Police sources have informed that around 200 tourist vehicles are currently stuck at Chungthang Gurudwara and the ITBP camp, while approximately 1,000 tourists remain stranded in Lachung.

Landslides have occurred at Munshithang on Lachen Chungthang road, previously affected by Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, as well as in Lema and Bob on Lachung Chungthang road, on the other side of Chungthang.

Roads till Chungthang are open, but due to heavy rain, the accessibility has been hampered in the night hours, as per information received from the Mangan District Superintendent of Police, Sonam Dechu Bhutia.

The relentless rainfall has led to flood-like conditions across parts of North Sikkim, severely impacting road connectivity and travel safety.

In light of the ongoing weather conditions and road disruptions, authorities have cancelled all travel permits for North Sikkim scheduled for the day. Advanced permits issued earlier have also been deemed invalid. Tour operators have been strictly instructed not to send any tourists to North Sikkim for safety reasons.

The district administration is currently assessing the damage and working to restore connectivity as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the state over the next two days, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Additionally, the NHPC power plant's dams have been opened to maintain safe water levels in the reservoirs, an official said.

Earlier in September last year, heavy rain in Sikkim triggered multiple landslides in several areas and caused significant damage to the old Rang-Rang bridge, considered the gateway to the northern part of the state. With the collapsing bridge, North Sikkim's Mangan district headquarters were cut off from the rest of the northeastern state. The alternative route via Dzongu was also blocked due to damage to the Sankhalang bridge last year.

--IANS

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