The state government also requested those stranded in the flood-hit Mangan district not to panic as the authorities concerned would start an evacuation process from Friday. Over 3,000 tourists, including foreigners, are said to be stuck in various parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department has also issued an advisory stating that “all the tourists planning to visit Sikkim are advised to postpone their travel to a later date till the situation normalises.” 

The tourism department also said the state government would extend all possible help and support in the “evacuation process starting from October 6 subject to weather conditions.”

The advisory comes hours after chief minister Tamang asked officials to stop issuing permits to tourists in popular destinations like Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula from Friday.

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“All the tourists stranded at Lachung and Lachen areas are safe and nothing adverse has so far been reported about them, the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department said.

In another advisory, the state government appealed to all the hoteliers, travel agents, tourist taxi drivers and other stakeholders of the tourism sector to come forward to extend all possible support and assistance to the stranded travellers in view of the flood situation in the Teesta river basin.

The department requested “all tourist taxi drivers and stakeholders to stand united in extending necessary help to the tourists by keeping normal/reasonable fares/ rates of taxis, accommodation units etc. at this hour of distress”.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Army arranged satellite phones and made them available for the stranded tourists to speak to their near and dear ones from inaccessible locations in north Sikkim which has been affected by the flash flood in Teesta river.

Indian Army and NDRF teams continue to search for the second day on Thursday for the second day of people who were swept away by the flash flood

Fourteen bodies have been found so far, while 102 people, including 22 army personnel, still missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood in the Teesta river basin.

So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity has affected 22,034, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) said in its latest bulletin.

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Updated: 05 Oct 2023, 09:29 PM IST