Sikkim: 64 tourists rescued from Lachung, moved to Mangan town

Gangtok: Sixty-four tourists were rescued from North Sikkim's Lachung on Monday and moved to Mangan town, officials said.

The rescue operation, however, had to be halted due to inclement weather, and the remaining tourists would be moved on Tuesday, they said.

Around 1,200 tourists, stuck in Lachung, were supposed to be airlifted, but the adverse weather conditions hampered the plans. At first, nine tourists were brought to Mangan by road, and another 55 joined them later in the day, officials said.

The district administration had to set up log bridges over the slides to facilitate movement by foot and by vehicles where roads were motorable, they said.

The rescue operation, led by District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri, was carried out by personnel of the police, Forest Department, BRO, NDRF and the local panchayats, officials said

Chettri said that if the weather remains favourable on Tuesday, all the tourists will be brought to Mangan by air and for this, six helicopters are on standby at Bagdogra near Siliguri.

While flying in to rescue the tourists, these helicopters would also be carrying essential commodities for the residents of Chungthang and Lachung, he said.

Incessant rains since June 12 wreaked havoc in Mangan, causing multiple landslides, and severing connectivity to most parts of the district. Due to the blockage of various roads at several locations, around 1,200 tourists got stranded in Lachung town, officials said.

The situation became grave after the collapse of the newly constructed suspension bridge at Sanklang as it was the main connection to North Sikkim and Dzongu, they said.

"Responding to the natural disaster by overcoming severe weather conditions and heavy rainfall in the region, the BRO launched restoration efforts by mobilising huge manpower and machinery to restore connectivity to North Sikkim at the earliest," a statement said.

"Swift and efficient response by a brave team of 758 BRTF under Project Swastik once again demonstrated their selfless commitment, resilience and determination in restoring vital connectivity and rescue of stranded tourists from North Sikkim," it added.