Gangtok: Around 1,100 tourists, stranded in north Sikkim's Chungthang town following floods and landslides, were evacuated by the authorities on Friday, while 1,800 others are yet to be evacuated from two other popular hill stations in Mangan district, officials said. They are being brought to Gangtok, around 1,000 km from Chungthang.
Tourists who spent Thursday night in a gurdwara left in about 200 vehicles, officials said. From Chungthang, the vehicles reached Mangan, the district headquarters, via the reconstructed Bailey bridge at Sangkalang, which was opened for traffic movement.
Officials said, "Efforts to clear the roads as fast as possible to evacuate around 1,800 stranded tourists in Lachung and Lachen have been initiated." Roads to Lachen and Lachung remained closed due to mudslides caused by heavy rainfall on Thursday evening.
Gopinath Raha, director of the Sikkim Meteorological Department, said, "The rain will continue throughout this week. The situation may improve sometime next week. However, a change in the weather pattern is likely to be visible only on Saturday."
Tourists can travel via Chungthang to reach Lachung and Lachen, hill stations known for their natural beauty and proximity to popular tourist destinations like Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley.
The district administration has made all necessary arrangements to ensure the well-being of the tourists stranded in Lachung and Lachen.
Meanwhile, Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur said all tourists are safe in various places in north Sikkim. "Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has been personally supervising the rescue operations of the stranded tourists," he added.
In a related development, the Mangan district administration has announced the suspension of all tourist permits 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.
Landslides have occurred at Munshithang on the Lachen-Chungthang road and at Lema/Bob on the Lachung-Chungthang road. The situation was aggravated due to incessant rain in the region.
Samrat Sanal, secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, said, "It is raining heavily. Tourists have been evacuated to Chungthang. We are checking whether anyone else is stranded anywhere."
Earlier, the bursting of Lonak Lake had led to a massive flood that washed away hundreds of families.
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