Over 1.6k tourists rescued, parts of N Sikkim still out of bounds
Times of India | 3 June 2025
Kalimpong: At least 1,678 tourists were evacuated from Lachung and Chungthang in north Sikkim and sent to Gangtok after a series of landslides cut off road access to the region. The evacuation began around 7 am on Monday, with coordinated efforts by the police, district administration, locals and the General Reserve Engineer Force .However, the search is still on for eight people who went missing after a vehicle fell into the Teesta on May 29. The accident had occurred between Chungthang and Munshithang. Two people were rescued. Of the total evacuated tourists, 750 were men, 560 women, and 380 children. According to district officials, 8 to 10 landslides occurred between Lachung and Phidang. Rajeev Sen, a tourist from Kolkata, said they were stuck in Lachung for two days. "There was a landslide in Lachung. That is why we were stopped earlier from travelling. The way the govt took care of everything was brilliant," said Sen. Another tourist, Surya Chauhan, also from Kolkata, said that the police, govt and locals worked together like a team. "It was so good to see everyone working together," Chauhan said.