Army men reach Sikkim's Lachen, 113 stranded tourists to be evacuated soon

Gangtok: Army personnel have established a walkway to north Sikkim's Lachen village, which remained completely cut off due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rain in Mangan district, and reached out to 113 stranded tourists there, an official statement said on Wednesday.

These tourists stuck in the village for the last few days will be evacuated soon, it said.

Search operations are also underway to trace six missing people after a landslide struck a military camp at Chaten on June 1.

"The Army has established foot connectivity to Lachen village and reached out to 113 stranded tourists who will be evacuated soon," the statement said.

Indian Army personnel have been working relentlessly under extreme weather conditions and hazardous terrain to assist locals and stranded tourists in north Sikkim.

At least 1,678 tourists were rescued from Lachung and Chungthang two days ago, while 34 others, including some foreigners and family members of the armed forces, were successfully airlifted.

However, the search operations for the six missing people in landslide-hit Chaten have been hampered by extremely bad weather conditions, unstable ground, and the challenging high-altitude terrain, an official said.

The Army deployed specialised teams and engineering equipment for the operation, he said.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) here has predicted thunderstorms and heavy rain in Sikkim on Wednesday.

People have been asked to remain careful as there is a likelihood of one or two intense spells of rain during the day.

Gangtok, Mangan, Namchi, Pakyong, and Soreng districts are likely to experience inclement weather conditions, it added.