Sikkim: Hundreds of tourists stranded in Chungthang start returning but many still stuck in Lanchung, Lachen

Hundreds of tourists who got stuck in Chungthang on Thursday after landslides in the Himalayan state of Sikkim are on their way back to Gangtok, officials said on Friday.

The stranded tourists started travelling towards Mangan on Friday with the assistance of the administration, they said.

Around 200 tourists vehicles had been stranded at Chungthang on Thursday and the occupants took shelter in a Gurdwara.

Meanwhile, vehicles carrying hundreds of stranded tourists have left for Mangan from Chungthang via a reconstructed Bailey bridge at Sangkalang which was opened for traffic movement, the officials said.

The tourists, after reaching Mangan town, will proceed towards Gangtok, they said.

Mangan District Magistrate Anant Jain and the Superintendent of Police (SP) Sonam Detchu Bhutia helped the stranded tourists so that they could return to their destinations safely.

Tourists still stuck in Lachen, Lachung

According to a report by Hindustan Times, around 1,000 tourists in Lachen and Lachung in north Sikkim continued to be stuck due to landslides on Friday afternoon.

Mangan superintendent of police (SP) Sonam Detchu Bhutia told the newspaper that around 1,500 more toursists who saw their vehicles getting stranded spent Thursday night in nearby villages. The tourists were accommodated in police station, gurudwara, Indo-Tibetan Border Police camp, and in some instances, were hosted by the local villagers.

“They were taken out on Friday morning and have already left for Gangtok,” Bhutia told the newspaper.

While roads to Lachen and Lachung remained closed due to mudslides caused by heavy rainfall last evening, efforts were on to clear the routes as fast as possible, PTI reported.

The district administration made all necessary arrangements to ensure the well-being of the tourists stranded in Lachung and Lachen, as per the news agency.

Mangan district officials proceeded towards Chungthang to assess the situation there.

Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur said that all tourists are safe in various destinations in north Sikkim after getting stranded due to landslides at several places.

Bhutia told Hindustan Times that the landslides due to incessant rainfall had damaged many roads near Munshithang on the way to Lachen from Chungthang and near Lima on the way to Lachung from Chungthang.

Tourists need to travel via Chungthang to reach Lachung and Lachen.

Tourist permits cancelled in Sikkim

In a related development, the Mangan district administration has announced suspension of all tourist permits for North Sikkim for the time being.

Permits already issued for travel have been declared invalid, officials said, adding the tour operators have been instructed not to send any tourists northward until further notice.

The authorities have cancelled all permits given to tourists to visit the region on April 25.

Around 1,000 tourists got stranded in picturesque North Sikkim following landslides in the Himalayan state which is also witnessing heavy rain.

(With PTI inputs)