Nearly 200 tourists stranded in Chungthang after landslides hit North Sikkim

Around 200 tourists were stranded in Chungthang after landslides blocked the Lachen route due to heavy rain. Authorities provided shelter and began restoration work, while access to Gangtok and nearby tourist sites remains restricted amid bad weather

Gangtok: Nearly 200 tourists were stranded at Chungthang in North Sikkim after multiple landslides, triggered by heavy rainfall, disrupted road connectivity, officials said on Wednesday morning.

Mangan District Collector Anant Jain said the landslides occurred along the crucial Chungthang-Lachen route on Tuesday night, leaving tourists headed for Lachen stuck midway.

---

Stranded visitors were accommodated overnight at an ITBP camp and a gurudwara in Chungthang, he said.

Restoration work by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is underway, officials said, adding that authorities will review the situation and may allow travel only after routes are declared safe, depending on weather conditions.

Some tourists have since returned to Gangtok and cancelled their travel plans, they said.

Meanwhile, the road to Lachung, which was also blocked on Tuesday night, has been cleared, and tourists from that side were safely sent back to Gangtok on Wednesday morning.

Officials said the situation is being monitored closely as intermittent rainfall persists in the region.

The Lachen route had only recently reopened on March 9 after being severely damaged in the 2023 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).

Additionally, key tourist destinations such as Tsomgo Lake and Nathula remain closed due to heavy snowfall over the past few days.