Sikkim landslides claim 3 lives; 1678 tourists evacuated –

In Sikkim, 3 people lost their lives due to a landslide that occurred last evening at Chatten area, which caused damage to the nearby habitat. It is suspected that more people are missing due to landslides, and rescue operations are on. So far, 3 bodies have been recovered.
 
Meanwhile, 1678 tourists evacuated safely from Lachung. The first batch, comprising 18 tourist vehicles, successfully reached Phidang in Lower Dzongu today. Tourists were stranded following a sudden cloudburst and incessant heavy rains on the 29th of last month, which wreaked havoc in North Sikkim. However, efforts are still on to evacuate around 150 stranded tourists at Lachen inthe  Mangan district. There are reports of multiple landslides in that area, and the administration is exploring all possible options to evacuate them.
 
Widespread landslides, formation breaches, and bridge collapses rendered vital stretches like Dikchu-Sanklang-Shipgyer, Chungthang-Lachen-Zeema, and Chungthang-Lachung roads inaccessible. Two crucial Bailey bridges on the Lachen axis at Minsithang and Zeema were also washed away, cutting off Lachen from both north and south. Efforts to restore road connectivity to Lachen are going on.