Evacuation halted amid adverse weather; search for missing tourists continue - the statesman

Airlift operations to evacuate stranded tourists from north Sikkim have been temporarily suspended due to inclement weather conditions, officials confirmed. Evacuations will resume as soon

as weather permits, sources said. According to updates from the Mangan district administration, approximately 120-140 tourists remain stranded in Lachen, while around 40 are at the Chaten

army camp. The NDRF has also reported the presence of 6-7 tourists in the stretch between Lachen and Zema. Advertisement A temporary footpath has been constructed between Lachen and Chaten,

facilitating limited ground access. As of the latest update, 40 tourists are currently at Chaten, 113 remain in Lachen, and 27 have already been airlifted to Pakyong Greenfield Airport.

Advertisement Meanwhile, search and rescue operations are still underway for tourists missing after a tragic road accident near Munshithang on 29 May. Despite challenging terrain, breached

connectivity, and rising river levels, joint search efforts have continued without interruption. On Tuesday, a team from the department of tourism and civil aviation, led by Joint Director

(Adventure) Kazi Sherpa and deputy director (adventure) Manoj Chettri, along with tourist officer Anup Subba and Information Assistant Sonam Pintso Bhutia, carried out a ground search near

the accident site. The operation was coordinated with the District Tourism Office, the Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure & Ecotourism (IHCAE), local administration, and police

officials including the SDM and SDPO of Chungthang. Officials from the fire and emergency services, forest department, the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS), and other stakeholders

also took part in the search. Family members of the missing tourists were present at the site to observe the rescue efforts first-hand. Simultaneously, NDRF personnel conducted extensive

searches along the riverbed. On 1 and 2 June, joint teams from the NDRF and tourism department covered a stretch of nearly 3–4 km downstream in search of the missing individuals. In a

separate development, assistant director general of ministry of tourism Bharti K Sharma, along with assistant director Amit Raj and officials from Ashok Events (ITDC) and the Regional Office

(North East), arrived at Bagdogra Airport today. The delegation is on a four-day reconnaissance visit to Sikkim, from 3 to 6 June, to oversee preparations for the 13th edition of the

International Tourism Mart, 2025.  Advertisement