Six tourists – four men, two women and a child – have died after an avalanche struck Sikkim’s Nathula border area Tuesday. At least 11 others have been injured and as many as 50 people are still trapped under the snow, police officials told news agency PTI. 30 people have been rescued so far and admitted to the STNM Hospital and Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok for treatment.
The avalanche – which has also left around 150 people stranded, according to PTI – hit a little past noon near the 15th mile marker on a road that leads to the Nathula mountain pass along the Indo-China border. Rescue operations are being directed by the police, with local travel agents, commercial vehicle drivers and tourism department officials also helping out.
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A video of the incident shared by tourists and locals present at the spot showed people stuck in the massive amount of snow, which hurtled down a mountainside in the wake of the disaster as they awaited the help of the rescue teams. Visuals also showed heavy vehicles being deployed to remove amount of snow and debris to accelerate the pace of rescue operation.
Sikkim has been witnessing regular snowfall over the past 30 days, forcing authorities to restrict movement of tourists till the 13th mile marker – a point on the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Government officials said tourists had gone past the permitted point when they were hit by the avalanche.
