GANGTOK, June 2 – More than 1,400 tourists, including foreign nationals, remained stranded in northern Sikkim on Sunday as landslides and swollen rivers triggered by intense monsoon rains damaged roads and bridges, officials said. According to the district police, 1,276 Indian and two foreign tourists are stuck in Lachung, while 112 Indian and four foreign nationals are stranded in Lachen, both in the remote Mangan district.
“Attempts to evacuate the tourists on Sunday were unsuccessful due to multiple landslides between Chungthang and Mangan,” said Sonam Detchu Bhutia, superintendent of police, Mangan. Authorities plan to resume evacuation on Monday morning, weather permitting.
Access to Lachen remains severely disrupted, with roads damaged at several locations. Officials estimate repairs could take up to a week. In contrast, partial road access remains from Lachung to Chungthang.
Evacuation efforts from Lachung will involve movement via the Toong Naga Road and Rel Khola, where tourists will cross a footbridge before being transported to Gangtok by vehicles arranged by tour operators and local cab services.
Despite the situation, police confirmed there are adequate food stocks in both locations, and hoteliers have been cooperating with authorities to support stranded tourists.
The monsoon’s early arrival brought continuous rainfall to the region, significantly raising water levels in the Teesta river, which washed away a bridge abutment at Sangklang and damaged infrastructure in several locations. The river also damaged a quality control laboratory of a dam project in Chungthang.
A Bailey bridge in Phidang was temporarily closed after the Teesta rose dangerously high, though officials are hopeful traffic may resume if rainfall subsides. Weather experts forecast continued rain, though at a lower intensity, which may help reduce river levels and aid restoration efforts.
In neighbouring West Bengal, the state irrigation department has issued a yellow alert along the Teesta from Domohoni to Mekhliganj and along the Jaldhaka river flowing from Bhutan. A regional flood control room has been established in Jalpaiguri for round-the-clock monitoring.
“We’re closely watching rainfall and river levels using data from over 130 gauges across the region,” said Krishnendu Bhowmik, chief engineer (northeast), irrigation department.
