6 dead, 1,500 tourists stranded as landslides, rain wreak havoc in Sikkim

At least six people were killed and 1,500-odd tourists stranded as massive landslides triggered by incessant rainfall caused devastation in northern Sikkim's Mangan district, officials said on Thursday.

A newly-constructed bailey bridge at Sangkalang collapsed snapping the link between Mangan with Dzongu and Chungthang. Landslides blocked stretches of roads and several houses were inundated or damaged, while electricity poles were swept away, they said.

Towns such as Dzongu, Chungthang, Lachen, and Lachung in Mangan district known for popular tourist spots like Gurudongmar Lake and Yunthang Valley have now been cut off from the rest of the country.

“Three persons each died in Pakshep and Ambhithang villages,” Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri said. A number of houses were damaged in Geythang and Nampathang.  Chettri said that a relief camp has been set up at Pakshep for the displaced people.

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The district magistrate held a meeting with other officials to assess the situation following the incessant rainfall in and around Mangan District since Wednesday night, instructing them to carry out rescue and relief operations.

The officials said that mobile network services were affected in North Sikkim even as a request was made by the district administration to send an SDRF team with ration to Mangan.

The collapsed bailey bridge at Sangkalang, which was built after the massive social flood in the Teesta river in October last year, has once again severed critical connections. Authorities have advised stranded tourists to remain in their current locations until alternative road connectivity can be established for vehicle movement, officials said.

The Mangan district administration has started works with several agencies to expeditiously construct a bridge at Phidang to restore connectivity in the region.