Indian Army rescues over 1,500 tourists stranded in Sikkim due to heavy snowfall; travellers to be transferred to Gangtok

Gangtok: The Indian Army has rescued more than 1,500 tourists stranded near the 17th Mile in East Sikkim close to the India-China border following heavy snowfall, an official said. [caption id=“attachment_5809231” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The Indian Army rescued around 2500 tourists who were stuck in Sikkim near Nathu La, close to the India-China border, due to heavy snowfall. ANI[/caption] The tourists were returning from Nathu La and Tsomgo (Changu) Lake on Friday evening when snowfall in the region blocked roads, leaving over 300 to 400 civil vehicles stranded at various points on Jawahar Lal Nehru Road, East Sikkim District Magistrate Kapil Meena said. “The Army immediately swung into action and rescued the tourists. They were then brought to a camp in 17th Mile area and served food and medicines. Arrangements were being put in place to transfer the tourists to the state capital,” Meena said. As of now, no tourist vehicle will be allowed to ply on Jawahar Lal Nehru road on way to the border region, he said, adding operations are underway to clear the snow and restore road connectivity.