GANGTOK, Oct 11: The Sikkim tourism department has cancelled issuing tourist vehicle permits for the mountainous north Sikkim from Monday citing safety and security reasons due to incessant rains, officials said.
The heavy rains have led to road blockages in different places of north Sikkim, an area popular among the adventurous tourists, they said.
On Sunday night a vehicle carrying five tourists from West Bengal was swept away at B1 in north Sikkim after a mudslide and rockfall triggered by heavy rains. All the tourists were rescued by Sikkim police with the help of locals and taxi drivers and were brought to Gangtok STNM Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries, the officials said.
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Rockfalls are the fastest type of landslides at cliff faces. They occur frequently in north Sikkim mountains or other steep mountain areas during heavy rains when there is abundant moisture in the air or there is repeated freezing and thawing.
The highway connecting Gangtok with north Sikkim is blocked at Tintek Khola near Dikchu due to landslide and work is on to clear it. However, it may take a day to clear the debris, they said.
Landslides have also blocked the roads at Lum, Dzongu, Lindok, Sai Goan and Tumlong in north Sikkim. Work is on to open the roads, they said.
The North district administration has also issued an advisory to the tourists to reschedule their plans and avoid travelling during the night even if the roads are open as there are high chances of rocks falling from a cliff or rolling down a steep slope.
Several houses are also reported to have been damaged at Marchak Dikchu, in east Sikkim due to landslides. The affected people have been relocated to safer areas and rescue works are underway, the officials added. (PTI)
