Sikkim's Heroic Rescue: 1,225 Tourists Evacuated from Landslide-Hit Mangan

The Sikkim administration successfully evacuated 1,225 tourists stranded due to landslides in Lachung and Mangan district. With the help of local authorities and rescue teams, more evacuations are planned if weather permits. Grateful tourists praised the rescue efforts as they started their journey to safer destinations.

On its second day of rescue operations, the Sikkim administration successfully evacuated 1,225 tourists stranded in landslide-hit Lachung and Mangan districts on Tuesday, following last week's deadly rains that left six dead, an official said.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Vishnu Lama announced that further evacuations of the remaining tourists, estimated to be a few hundred, are scheduled for Wednesday, contingent on weather conditions. Six helicopters are already on standby at Bagdogra airport in West Bengal, awaiting deployment.

On Monday, 64 tourists were safely brought to the district headquarters in Mangan. 'We have successfully evacuated a total of 1,225 tourists from Lachung and its surrounding regions today,' ADM Lama stated.

Tourists were transported from Mangan to Gangtok using vehicles provided by the Motor Vehicle Division of the Transport Department. From Gangtok, many began their onward journey to respective destinations.

District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri and Superintendent of Police (SP) Sonam Detchu Bhutia, along with other senior civil and police officials, coordinated with BRO, NDRF, SDRF, local panchayats, and volunteers to ensure the smooth evacuation process. The administration remains vigilant to handle any additional challenges.

Rescued tourists expressed their gratitude to the state government, Mangan administration, other agencies, and locals for their compassionate efforts. In a tragic footnote, nearly 50 people were killed in a flash flood that struck the same district last October.

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