Army evacuates stranded tourists in Sikkim

GANGTOK: Around 2,000 tourists stranded at Thegu in East Sikkim due to sudden snowfall were rescued and evacuated by the Army personnel of Black Cat Division, Army said today.

250 tourist vehicles with around 2,000 tourists were stranded at Thegu, below Nathu La, due to unexpected and sudden snowfall on Saturday, an Army press release said.

Troops stationed nearby, quickly rose to the occasion and helped to push the tourist vehicles across the steep slopes and rescued the tourists.

The weather deteriorated further in the evening and despite heavy snowfall and hailstorm, the troops cleared all the tourist vehicles by 7 PM on Saturday, the release said, adding all the tourists safely returned to Gangtok by nightfall.