Hundreds of tourists who were stranded in Chungthang following landslides in Sikkim began travelling towards Mangan on Friday with the assistance of the administration, officials said.
Around 200 tourist vehicles had been stranded at Chungthang on Thursday (April 24), and the occupants took shelter in a Gurdwara.
Chungthang in the Mangan district of northern Sikkim is nearly 100 km away from the State capital Gangtok.
The vehicles carrying hundreds of stranded tourists have left for Mangan from Chungthang via a reconstructed Bailey bridge at Sangkalang which was opened for traffic movement, the officials said.
The tourists, after reaching Mangan town, will proceed towards Gangtok, they said.
Mangan District Magistrate Anant Jain and the Superintendent of Police (SP) Sonam Detchu Bhutia helped the stranded tourists so that they could return to their destinations safely.
While roads to Lachen and Lachung remained closed due to mudslides caused by heavy rainfall last evening, efforts were on to clear the routes as fast as possible.
Meanwhile, the district administration made all necessary arrangements to ensure the well-being of the tourists stranded in Lachung and Lachen.
Tourists need to travel via Chungthang to reach Lachung and Lachen, both hill stations, known for their natural beauty and proximity to popular tourist destinations like Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley.
The Mangan district officials proceeded towards Chungthang to assess the situation there.
Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur said that all tourists are safe in various destinations in north Sikkim after getting stranded due to landslides at several places.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has been personally supervising the rescue operations of the stranded tourists in North Sikkim, he said.
All stranded tourists will be brought to Gangtok by tonight, the governor said.
In a related development, the Mangan district administration has announced suspension of all tourist permits for North Sikkim for the time being.
Permits already issued for travel have been declared invalid, officials said, adding the tour operators have been instructed not to send any tourists northward until further notice.
The authorities have cancelled all permits given to tourists to visit the region on April 25.
Around 1,000 tourists got stranded in picturesque North Sikkim following landslides in the Himalayan state which is also witnessing heavy rain.
According to police officers, massive landslides have occurred at Munshithang on the Lachen–Chungthang road and at Lema/Bob on the Lachung–Chungthang road.
The situation was aggravated due to continuous rain in the region.
