More than 200 tourists have been evacuated from the landslide-affected Mangan district in Sikkim, while around 1,000 remain stranded in Lachung, according to a senior police officer on Tuesday.
The evacuation process involved transporting tourists via Chungthang to Mangan town, where the transport department arranged vehicles to ferry them to Gangtok, as stated by Superintendent of Police Sonam Detchu Bhutia. On Tuesday alone, about 150 tourists were evacuated, following the rescue of 64 tourists on Monday from North Sikkim’s Lachung to Mangan town.
The coordinated efforts of the district administration, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were instrumental in moving the stranded tourists to safer areas. Additional evacuations are anticipated as rescue operations continue.
To facilitate movement, log bridges were constructed over landslide-affected areas, enabling safe passage where roads were motorable. Since June 12, incessant rains have wreaked havoc in Mangan, causing multiple landslides and severing connectivity to most parts of the district. Approximately 1,200 tourists have been stranded in Lachung town due to blocked roads at several locations.
The heavy rains and resulting landslides have led to at least six fatalities in Sikkim over the past few days. The natural disaster has also caused significant property damage, disrupted power and food supplies, and affected mobile networks in several areas.
The situation deteriorated further with the collapse of a newly constructed suspension bridge at Sanklang, a vital connection to North Sikkim and Dzongu.
In response to the disaster, the BRO has launched extensive restoration efforts despite severe weather conditions. Significant manpower and machinery have been deployed to restore connectivity to North Sikkim as quickly as possible.
