Sikkim rains: Over 1,200 tourists stranded in Sikkim’s Lachung, alert sounded in north Bengal

Over 1,200 tourists stranded in Sikkim due to landslides, officials coordinating airlifting and relief efforts for safety.

A total of 1,200 domestic tourists and 15 foreign tourists are stranded in Lachung in Sikkim’s Mangan district amid rock blockages caused by torrential rainfall and subsequent landslides from earlier this week.

According to a statement made by the State’s tourism department, all stranded tourists are currently safe and have been instructed to stay put at their respective locations. The Sikkim government is in talks with the Centre regarding airlifting of the stranded tourists when the weather conditions improve. 

Sikkim Chief Minister Shri Prem Singh Tamang addressed the Statewide calamity at a high-level meeting at his official residence at Mintokgang on Friday. “I urge everyone to stay alert, follow safety guidelines, and cooperate with authorities,” Chief Minister Tamang said. “Our collective efforts are crucial in overcoming this calamity and restoring normalcy to our State.”

Heavy rainfall and landslides in Sikkim earlier this week has claimed at least six lives, stranded thousands and have caused severe damage to properties. According to the Chief Minister, north Sikkim bore the brunt of the impact. Properties were damaged, road, and mobile connectivity were disrupted and the supply of power and food to affected areas was also subsequently hampered. As a result, Lachung in the north remains cut off from the rest of Sikkim even when other parts of the State have been cleared for movement. As part of immediate relief measures by the State, emergency services and essential supplies are being distributed to the worst hit areas. 

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Irrigation Department on Friday sounded an alert in the State’s northern districts following the release of water from the barrages. This poses fears of a flood in the Teesta river — particularly in the floodplains of Jalpaiguri — as water released from the barrages has exacerbated the surge caused by heavy rains in Sikkim. Low-lying, river-adjacent areas in Jalpaiguri experienced flood-like situations on Friday. Residents staying near the river have been urged by the authorities to evacuate the river banks and move to higher land. Authorities in Jalpaiguri are on high alert and have taken precautionary measures for any contingency.

Earlier this week, heavy rains and landslides in Sikkim caused the Teesta river to swell up and choke road connectivity in and between the two States. Key areas in north Bengal like Kalimpong’s Teesta Bazar were inundated, which led to closure of crucial roads like Kalimpong-Darjeeling Road and NH10 that connects Sikkim and north Bengal. 

The ongoing disaster brings back memories of the flash floods in Sikkim in October last year that took over a hundred lives and had affected both Sikkim and north Bengal, including Kalimpong’s Teesta Bazar area. The flood was reportedly triggered by a glacial lake outburst.