Sikkim Landslides: At least six people were killed and around 1,500 tourists were stranded after incessant rainfall triggered massive landslides, causing devastation in northern Sikkim's Mangan district. The much-awaited and delayed evacuation of the stranded tourists began on Monday. The evacuation was carried out by road from Toong in Mangan district.
The evacuation process was undertaken under the leadership of the Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri. Officials from Tourism and Civil Aviation and Forest Departments and the Travel Agent Association of Sikkim (TAAS) were also involved in the rescue.
"Despite incessant rains and multiple slides to cross over, the team is handling the evacuation with safety, care and caution, in batches," officials stated.
The tourists were stranded in Lachung town for the past one week after the landslides and torrential rains crippled the road and communication networks in several areas of Mangan, disrupting Sikkim's connectivity with the rest of the country.
The first batch of 50 stranded tourists has been successfully evacuated from Chungthang to Mangan, news agency ANI reported. Meanwhile, nine tourists were rescued from Lachung town in Mangan, PTI reported.
Talking about the evacuation process, Sikkim Tourism Minister Tshering Thendup Bhutia stated: "We held a high-level meeting two days ago regarding evacuation, where the CM had directed us to give a collective report on the stranded tourists. So, we went to Lachung via helicopter yesterday."
BRO Carrying Out Restoration Work In Sikkim
Along with the evacuation the restoration of the road network to facilitate vehicular traffic to and from Mangan district at the earliest is also being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), PTI reported citing officials.
Besides claiming six lives, the natural calamity also damaged properties and disrupted mobile networks and food and power supplies in several areas.
The landslides and rain also destroyed a newly-constructed bailey bridge at Sangkalang, snapping link between Mangan with Chungthang and Dzongu.
"Landslides blocked stretches of roads and several houses were inundated or damaged, while electricity poles were swept away," officials told PTI.
After the devastating landslides, towns including Chungthang, Dzongu, Lachen, and Lachung in Mangan district, renowned for popular tourist spots such as Yunthang Valley and Gurudongmar Lake, have now been cut off from the rest of the country.