1,000 Tourists Stranded In North Sikkim Due To Landslides Amid Heavy Rain, Travel Permits Suspended

Nearly 1,000 tourists have been stranded in North Sikkim following landslides in the Himalayan state caused due to heavy rain. Vehicular movement was severely hit due to the rain-induced landslides, leaving around 200 tourist vehicles stranded at Chungthang on Thursday.

As of now, the stranded tourists are staying in a Gurudwara there, news agency PTI reported citing officials.

The police said that massive landslides occurred at Munshithang on the Lachen–Chungthang road and at Lema/Bob on the Lachung–Chungthang road. Chungthang is nearly 100 km from the state capital Gangtok. Also, the situation was aggravated by incessant rain in the northern region.

Travel Permits Suspended

Officials also said that the district administration has directed all tour operators to avoid sending tourists to North Sikkim on Friday until any further notice, PTI reported.

"A massive landslide has occurred at Munshithang on the Lachen Chungthang road and Lachung Chungthang road. Further, it has been raining continuously in North Sikkim. The road to Chungthang is open, but due to heavy rain, it cannot be accessed at night," Mangan district Superintendent of Police, Sonam Dechu Bhutia said.

All permits given to tourists for visiting the region on April 25 have also been cancelled by the authorities. According to local administration, access roads to Lachen and Lachung have been severely hit, leaving as many as 1,000 tourists stranded.

Lachung and Lachen are popular hill stations that are known for their natural beauty. They are situated near the famous tourist destinations like Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley. 

Meanwhile, the landslide-hit Jammu-Srinagar national highway was reopened for one-way traffic on Wednesday after remaining closed for three days. A special train was also launched from Katra to New Delhi to assist the stranded passengers to reach their destinations.

Movement was restored on the highway, which is the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, following the terror attack in the tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday. At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in the attack.

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