Gangtok, April 9 Over 1,000 stranded tourists were rescued from Lachen in Sikkim's Mangan district, where multiple landslides have cut off road connectivity, officials said on Thursday.
The tourists had been stranded in Lachen in North Sikkim since April 5.
The officials said that 1,321 tourists and 84 locals were rescued on Thursday. The evacuation exercise was carried out under the supervision of Mangan District Collector Anant Jain and with the active coordination of the Army, BRO, 'Lachen Dzumsa', and tourism stakeholders, they said.
Special arrangements of buses and tourist vehicles were made to transfer the tourists from Taram Chu to Chungthang and onward to Gangtok.
After the completion of the evacuation process at Taram Chu, local MLA and Sikkim Social Welfare minister Samdup Lepcha interacted with officials of the Indian Army and the BRO and thanked them for their consistent efforts.
He also interacted with the tourists and wished them a pleasant journey to their destination.
The minister thanked the district administration and all the agencies involved in the arduous task of safely evacuating tourists from Lachen.
"Despite adverse weather conditions and logistical challenges, the mission was accomplished through teamwork and community spirit," he stated.