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Communication lost due to landslides. At least eight hundred tourists are stuck in Lachen in North Sikkim. The weather has become increasingly alarming. Today, since Monday morning, the army has come to rescue the tourists. The work of cutting the ice and making the road is going on. The work of removing the snow and bringing down the tourists has started. Emergency helpline numbers have been launched. Those two numbers are 9907956705 and 03592281007.

The weather in Sikkim has been extremely bad for several days. Incessant rain continued as well as snow. Landslides are seen on a part of the Chungthang-Lachen road in Taramchu. It is reported that the roads and bridges that were built a few months ago have been damaged again. Only a part of the bridge broke and hung. In this situation, many cars of tourists were stuck on the road with manure.

The work started to rescue the tourists. It is reported that at least 800 tourists are stuck in Lachen and surrounding areas. Realizing the importance of the situation, the rescue work started in wartime activities. Indian Army’s Tri-Shakti Corps has been disbanded. Besides, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Border Roads Organization and Police also came to the rescue. The tourists were stranded when the Chungthang-Lachen road in Taramchu collapsed due to incessant rain early Sunday morning. The road is completely blocked. It is the only way to travel to the popular tourist center of Lachen. Tourists heading towards Lachen are being diverted via the Donkiala-Lachung route.

On the other hand, those who are already stuck in Lachen have been asked to stay in hotels or homestays by Mangan district administration on Sunday night for the sake of security. On Monday morning, the operation to bring down Gangtok through Lachen, Dongkia-La, Lachung on their route began. However, the operation is hampered due to bad weather. It is snowing. According to the administration, the road repair and ice removal work is going on as a wartime operation to clear the Lachen-Dongkia La-Lachung-Gangtok route quickly. Tourists and locals are requested to remain calm.

Besides, it has been asked to strictly follow the government guidelines. According to the administration, depending on the weather and road conditions, the work of bringing down the tourists will continue. In case of emergency, contact the helpline number. Tourists are currently banned from this part of North Sikkim.