KOLKATA: Seven tourists were killed and 11 others received injuries on Tuesday in a massive avalanche near the Nathu La pass in east Sikkim, on the border with China. The avalanche happened around 11.10 am on the Gangtok-Nathu La Jawaharlal Nehru Marg near the 15th milestone.
Tourists are not permitted to travel beyond Milestone 13 due to inclement weather, yet they forced tour operators and drivers to take them to the area where the incident happened, a police officer claimed. Army and Border Road Organisation personnel were deployed to rescue the trapped tourists.
As many as 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles were rescued after clearing the snow from the road to Nathu La. “Approximately five-six vehicles with 30-odd tourists on Nathu La were stuck under the snow. We rescued 27 people while seven of them succumbed to their injuries. Others were taken to a nearby Army medical facility. Search is on to find out whether more people are trapped under the snow,’’ said a defence department spokesperson.
Many of the rescued were administered first aid and brought to Gangtok. Army, National Disaster Response Force, a state disaster management team and the local police are involved in the search and rescue operations. They continued operations till late evening.
Nathu La, one of the most important Himalayan passes in the country, is a major tourist destination. It is 14,450 feet above sea level, is 55 km from Sikkim’s capital Gangtok and it is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China.