Surpassing all unfavourable weather condition, Indian Army rescues 1500 stranded tourists in Sikkim

News Bharati    28-Dec-2019
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Gangtok, December 28: Exhibiting their duty with utmost dedication, the Indian Army on Thursday rescued nearly 1,500 stranded tourists in Nathu La Pass in East Sikkim after heavy snowfall blocked the Jawaharlal Nehru road in the state. Despite poor visibility and harsh weather, the army carried out the rescue operation. The Army ensured relief to the tourists and provided them with shelter, food, medicines, and warm clothing.

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As many as 1,500 to 1,700 tourists were travelling in about 300 vehicles from Gangtok and they got stranded at various stretches of the Jawahar All Nehru Road between Nathu La and 13th Mile on Friday due to heavy snowing. An official statement from the Indian Army read, “These tourists, travelling in nearly 300 taxis, were returning from Nathu La Pass - Tsomgo Lake on Friday evening and got stranded midway at various points along Jawaharlal Nehru road as the motorable stretch was blocked by snow.”

The stranded tourists that included children, women and elderly persons have been evacuated and 570 of them have been accommodated at the Army Camp at 17th Mile. The Army has deployed Earthmovers, dozers and JCBs to remove the snow blockade and restore road connectivity at the earliest. The process of evacuation is still underway and will continue till all stranded tourists are rescued safely and return to the state’s capital Gangtok.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), cloudy sky and rain is expected in Gangtok in the next week. “Dense fog is very likely in isolated pockets over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland," IMD said in its All India Weather Warning Bulletin.

Meanwhile, severe freezing conditions have prevailed in North India. The national capital, on Saturday, witnessed the coldest day of the season, with mercury plummeting to as low as 1.7 degrees Celsius at 8:30 am at Lodhi Road, according to IMD.