Over 1,600 tourists safely evacuated from Sikkim's Lachung after flash floods: Mangan DC

Over 1,600 tourists stranded in Sikkim's Lachung since May 30 have been successfully evacuated, said Mangan District Collector (DC) Anant Jain on June 2. The tourists had been stuck due to flash floods and multiple landslides triggered by heavy rainfall on the evening of May 29.
 

“We started the evacuation this morning around 8 am from Lachung. There were about 1,600 tourists, including 750 men, 560 women, and around 380 children. A total of 285 vehicles and 16 bikes were part of the convoy,” said Jain while speaking to reporters.

The DC said that the tourists had been stranded after heavy rains caused massive flooding and several landslides between Lachung and Fedang. “There were around 8 to 10 landslides along the route. Since the night of May 29, our teams have been working to clear the debris. The roads were cleared only by last evening, and that’s when we prepared for today’s evacuation,” he said.

The evacuees are now being moved in a phased manner from Lachung to Fedang and then onwards to Gangtok. “There are no more tourists left stranded in Lachung,” Jain said.

When asked about the situation in Lachen, the DC mentioned that the area is currently cut off from both Zema and Rabang sides. “But the tourists there are safe. They are staying at their hotels. We have been in touch with the police and local administration in Lachen. There are about 150 tourists there. NDRF teams are also present, and we are exploring alternate routes, like through Munshi Thang and then crossing towards Kedang, to facilitate transshipment if needed,” he said.

The DC also shared an update on a tragic incident involving a group of tourists who went missing after a road accident during the flash flood on May 29. “The accident happened late on the 29th night. I was in Chungthang that night after we got the report. Police, ITBP, and Army teams reached the spot around 11 PM. Two tourists from Odisha were rescued and sent to hospital. But nine people, including eight tourists and one driver, are still missing,” he said.

Search and rescue teams have been working non-stop for the last two days, but continuous rainfall and dangerous river conditions have hampered progress. “The river water had risen over 10 feet in height, making it extremely difficult to recover the vehicle or trace the missing persons. But rescue operations are ongoing,” Jain said.