Stranded tourists in North Sikkim safe

Twenty of the 300-odd tourists caught in the middle of a landslide are from Telugu States

June 19, 2019 11:53 pm | Updated 11:53 pm IST - HYDERABAD

About 300 tourists, including 20 Telugu people stranded in Lachen in North Sikkim since June 17 owing to landslide caused on account of sudden cloud burst, will be evacuated to Gangtok by Thursday evening.

The tourists who were on their way to the picturesque Gurudongmar lake situated 17,000 feet above the sea level from Gangtok were returning from Lachen at 9,000 feet when a cloudburst triggered torrential rain and landslide blocked the way for the vehicles, said Shravan Kumar, a tourist from Hyderabad, speaking to The Hindu over phone.

‘Walked back 12 km’

“With the way forward totally blocked, we got down from the vehicles and walked back 12 km to Lachen with the help of Army personnel. Even on June 18, there were five or six landslides and all the tourists had to stay put at Lachen,” said Shravan Kumar who works in a city-based IT firm..

Apart from 20 Telugu people, tourists hailed from West Bengal, Delhi, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. There were youngsters, children and even old people, the oldest person in the group being 80.

It was local people who rose to the occasion and provided the stranded tourists with food and accommodation though they were short on supplies due to inclement weather, Shravan said.

They also helped in creating some passage which helped Shravan Kumar and four others trek down to reach a village, Bensoi, downhill to seek help. By the time they reached the village, local authorities and North Sikkim District Magistrate Raj Yadav and Border Road Organisation personnel had been present. “We explained the situation to the authorities. Our immediate concern was to call the families of stranded tourists and inform them that all the stranded tourists are safe,” Shravan said.

Local help

All praise for local people, authorities, the police and Army personnel for extending help and even organising a medical camp, he said it did not rain on Wednesday, and on Thursday, the tourists would trek down 10 km.

“About 40% of tourists are youngsters and experienced trekkers who will assist the rest of tourists to the base. From there, vehicles being arranged by local authorities and Travel Segment official Sonam Morgay will take them to Gangtok on Thursday evening or Friday morning”.

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