158 vehicles stranded in North Sikkim after landslide; evacuation underway

A total of 158 tourist and private vehicles were stranded in Lachen in North Sikkim after a road breach disrupted connectivity along a key mountain route, officials said on April 13.

According to authorities, 1,321 tourists stranded in these vehicles were rescued on April 9 through a temporary footbridge constructed after the road collapse at Taram Chu along the Chungthang-Lachen axis on April 5.

In a phased evacuation effort, 114 drivers and their vehicles were later moved through the Dongkya La pass on Sunday. On Monday, another 44 vehicles, including 24 tourist vehicles and 17 private cars, were safely evacuated from the affected zone.

Officials said the evacuees are being transported onwards to Gangtok and Mangan.

The evacuation operation is being jointly carried out by the Army, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), district administration, drivers’ associations, and tourism stakeholders.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as efforts are underway to restore normal road connectivity in the region.