A significant avalanche near the Nathula border with Sikkim claimed the lives of six trekkers and injured another 11 on Tuesday afternoon. Tsongmo, a well-known tourist spot in Sikkim, was just severely damaged by a relinquishing avalanche, close to Nathula Pass.Â
Rescue and relief efforts have begun in the impacted region in the interim. It’s estimated that more than 100 visitors were in the neighborhood at the time of the tragedy. Search and rescue operations are being conducted on the Gangtok-Nathula route near Milestone 15 where an avalanche struck and claimed seven lives.
Moreover, the visitors who perished were four men, one woman, and one child. They suffered severe injuries as a result of the natural tragedy.
According to a local news agency, seven individuals died as a result of the natural calamity. Up to now, 22 travelers have been saved. At least 150 visitors are reportedly suspected to be trapped in the avalanche, according to local news sources. Social media saw the emergence of videos of captive stories. Footage of the rescue effort has also surfaced on Twitter.
People were seen waiting for rescue services’ assistance in a video of the tragedy that tourists and locals who were there at the scene posted. They were caught in a mountainside’s worth of snow that had been hurled down by the disaster. The use of large equipment to clear snow and debris and quicken the speed of the rescue effort was also seen in the visuals.
According to the SP, the visitors were near the illegal 17th Mile mark when the avalanche occurred. Rapid rescue efforts were started by the Border Roads Organisation, and as of today, 22 individuals have been saved, including 6 from a deep valley, according to rescue personnel.
As per the information gathered till now, 30 visitors who became stranded in the snow were rescued and sent to STNM Hospital and Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok. According to authorities, over 350 people and 80 cars that were trapped on the route due to the snow obstructing the road from NathuLa were also sent back.
A senior police official in this area remarked that the Rescue and clearance efforts are still ongoing. The Sikkim Police, the Sikkim Travel Agents Association, tourism department employees, and vehicle drivers are now engaged in rescue operations.
The Indian Army’s Trishakti Corps sends out rescuers to the Gangtok-Nathula road at Milestone 15 in Sikkim, the scene of an avalanche that claimed seven lives. Seven other people received first aid and were sent back to Gangtok. BRO has permitted traffic on the road. The Army, State Disaster Management Unit, and Police are conducting a search and rescue operation for the remaining person.
Tourists In Sikkim
Tourists were allowed up till the 13th Mile but were pushed to the 15th Mile, where the incident occurred, according to an SP Gangtok IPS Tenzing Loden Lepcha Police source mentioned in local news sources.
According to Sonam Tenzing Bhutia, inspector general for checkpoints, passes are only provided for the 13th mile, although visitors frequently travel to the 15th mile without authorization. The event happened about mile 15.
During the past 30 days, Sikkim has had consistent snowfall, leading officials to restrict visitor traffic until the 13th-mile marker, which is located along the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Authorities representatives said that when visitors were struck by the avalanche, they had gone beyond the permissible distance.
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