Sikkim: Foreign tourists among hundreds evacuated by helicopter from flooded northeast Indian state

Lhonak lake in Sikkim burst its banks on 4 October and caused serious flooding

At least 700 tourists that include seven foreigners were evacuated from the flood-hit northeastern state of Sikkim, according to government authorities.

On Tuesday, the evacuation of the stranded tourists continued in the Lachen and Lachung regions of north Sikkim. A majority of them were transported by air from locations like Thangu and Chungthang, besides Lachen and Lachung a day earlier.

About 150 tourists, accompanied by around 500 local residents, crossed a makeshift log bridge in Chungthang on foot too to escape the flood-hit regions.

On 4 October, about 3,000 tourists from different regions of the country found themselves trapped in north Sikkim towns after a cloudburst in Lhonak lake triggered flash floods in the Teesta River.

These floods wreaked havoc in the Chungthang Valley and inundated the river basin areas in four downstream districts.

According to army sources, road connections to Chungthang, a crucial stop on the route to Lachen and Lachung, were completely severed. At least 1,700 tourists were stranded there alone.

A senior Sikkim government official said more than 700 individuals, comprising tourists, locals and labourers trapped in places like Chungthang, were successfully evacuated from the flood-affected areas to safety. This effort included the construction of a bailey bridge, according to local media.

“After the disaster, plans were immediately drawn up with the air force and the army to evacuate, by helicopter, the tourists as well as local people who needed medical treatment,” a senior Sikkim government official said on Monday.

“However, bad weather in the north prevented the choppers from flying to these places during the past four days. Today, as the weather improved, the choppers conducted multiple sorties and rescued the tourists.”

Lhonak lake in Sikkim burst its banks on 4 October and caused serious flooding, which authorities said impacted 22,000 people and became the latest deadly weather event in a mountainous region in south Asia that is being blamed on the climate crisis.

In August, over 70 people died in landslides triggered by cloudbursts in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.

Record rains in July this year killed more than 100 people over two weeks in northern India, as roads were waterlogged and homes collapsed.