Evacuation Of 1,200 Stranded Tourists Begins From Rain-Hit Sikkim

The much-delayed evacuation of 1,200 stranded tourists in rain-hit Sikkim's Chungthang began from Toong via Mangan through roads today afternoon. The airlifting of stranded tourists was not possible due to inclement weather and heavy rain, officials said.

Despite incessant rain and multiple slides to cross over, the team is handling the evacuation in batches, they said.

So far, fifty tourists have been evacuated, with a second batch following them, official sources told NDTV. Sources said patients, children and senior citizens are on their priority list for evacuation.

The evacuation process is being led by the Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri and officials from Tourism and Civil Aviation and Forest Departments, besides the Travel Agent Association of Sikkim (TAAS), reported news agency PTI.

"The BRO in close coordination with civil administration and team of NDRF is leading the mammoth evacuation operation," a statement said.

No Road Connectivity

Dzongu, Chungthang, Lachung in North Sikkim are among the places with no road connectivity with major bridges washed out by Teesta River.

Restoration of road connectivity between Mangan and Gangtok is being done at the earliest, government sources added.

A rescue team foot-marched from Mangan to Lachung on Sunday to oversee the evacuation of tourists and report on road conditions.

Initially, the authorities had planned to evacuate tourists by airlifting them by the Indian Air Forces (IAF). However, due to bad weather conditions tourists had to be evacuated on foot.

IAF helicopters have been kept on standby at the Bagdogra Airport and will be used for evacuation once weather improves.

Even though NH310A (from Gangtok up to Mangan) was open for traffic, it is still littered with numerous slides and breaches, especially at the traditional sinking spot at Phensong and Namak, official sources added.

9 Killed In Rain-Related Incidents

Around 1200 tourists, including some foreigners, have been stranded in Lachung town for the past one week. The road and communication networks have been crippled by heavy rains and landslides in several areas of Mangan district, disrupting connectivity with the rest of the country.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is carrying out the restoration of the road network to facilitate vehicular traffic to and from Mangan district at the earliest, the officials added.

At least nine people have been killed in Sikkim due to landslides triggered by heavy rain over the past few days. The natural calamity has also damaged properties and disrupted power and food supplies and mobile networks in several areas, officials said.

The district administration has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the family of the victims.