A very unfortunate incident occurred in Sikkim on Tuesday afternoon. A humongous avalanche hit the Nathula pass causing a tragedy for the tourists. The unfortunate situation took place at the 14th mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road, according to a report by Free Press Journal. This road links Gangtok to Nathula Pass. Due to the road being hit by the huge avalanche, many tourists got injured and even some lost their lives sadly.
Sikkim Suffered A Huge Loss Today
A Twitter user named Weatherman Shubham who goes by the username @shubhamtorres09 shared some clips of the disastrous situation after the avalanche. These videos show how people are working hard relentlessly to save the ones trapped inside the snow.
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Many tourists have been injured severely and some even got trapped under the avalanche. The rescue operation is in continuation for a long time to save the ones trapped in that situation.
Visitors Witnessed Major Problems Here
- The Border Roads Organisation shared that a lady was trapped in this horrible situation for about 1.5 hours, as reported by several reports. She has been hospitalized at the STNM Hospital right after rescuing.
- Over 70 cars have been saved from the snow burden already.
- According to a report by Hindustan Times, about 30 tourists were stuck inside the snow till 3 PM.
- Over 300 people were found stranded here.
- About 1.5 hours back, almost 7 people have already lost their lives. Unfortunately, a child was also one of the 7 people.
- Reports from around 5:30 PM state that about 80 people were stuck inside even at that point in time.
- Police, the army, and local volunteers have already rescued over 20 people trapped here.
- Police officials of Sikkim, the army, and local people are working very hard to save the lives of the affected and hurt ones.
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Sikkim is facing snowfall quite regularly for the last month. This led tourists to stop travelling beyond the 13th Mile. According to a report by HT, some visitors still went to the 15th mile and this is when they faced this unfortunate avalanche.
We pray for everyone’s recovery and good health!
Cover Image Courtesy: Twitter/ Weatherman Shubham @shubhamtorres09