Indian Army rescues 1,500 stranded tourists from Sikkim

Darjeeling: Stranded tourists were evacuated by the Indian Army from the army camp located at 17th Mile to Gangtok on Saturday morning.

Around 1500 tourists got stranded due to heavy snowfall between 13th Mile to Nathu La on the Indo-Tibet border in Sikkim. These tourists, travelling in nearly 300 taxis, were returning from Nathu La Pass — Tsomgo Lake on Friday evening when they got stranded midway at various points along the Jawaharlal Nehru road as the motorable stretch was blocked by snow.

The Indian Army immediately swung into action and initiated massive rescue operations despite poor visibility and inclement weather.

The stranded tourists were provided relief including, food, shelter, warm clothing and medicines, to ensure their safety from weather and high altitude. Around 570 were accommodated at Army Camp at 17th Mile. The Army provided JCB and Dozers to clear the snow and restore road connectivity at the earliest. Evacuation operations continued on Saturday. The stranded tourists were transported to Gangtok by the Army. The tourists were all praise for the Indian Army. "We were stranded for more than two hours in the snow on the way back from Nathu La. The Indian army came to our rescue. They emptied their camps for us and gave us shelter. We were provided everything including milk for children. A big salute for the Indian Army," stated Brajesh, a tourist.