GANGTOK: The Indian Army has rescued 30 tourists including elderly women and children who were stranded in high-altitude areas of East Sikkim, officials said on Tuesday. “Troops of the Trishakti Corps swung into immediate action and rescued the stranded tourists. The tourists were moved to safe areas and provided shelter, warm clothing, medical aid and hot meals,” the Army official said in a statement.
The tourists got stranded on Monday afternoon due to snowfall and inclement weather. The soldiers vacated their barracks to enable accommodation for the stranded tourists. “The quick reaction by the troops provided relief and comfort to the stranded tourists under inclement weather conditions and ensured early clearance of the road to enable the movement of vehicles to Gangtok,” it added.
The stranded tourists expressed their gratitude for the immediate relief provided by the Army. “Indian Army, while guarding the border in super high-altitude areas of the Himalayas, remains proactive in assisting tourists and the local population,” Army said.
In another rescue operation by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), as many as 40 tourists stranded near Nathu La in Sikkim due to heavy rainfall were also rescued by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the officials said on Tuesday. “Forty tourists who were stranded near Nathula due to heavy rainfall have been rescued by BRO Karmayogies”, Guwahati Defence PRO’s official statement said.
According to the BRO, the rescued people were served hot meals and given shelter in the BRO detachments and were sent back to Gangtok after the road was opened by the BRO.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the ongoing rain spell is about to intensify in Sikkim and other parts of the Northeast for the next five days. (ANI)