Stranded tourists back

Gangtok, June 5: Around 200 tourists who were stranded in Lachung since Sunday night returned to Gangtok this afternoon and nearly 150 visitors trapped in Lachen have started for the Sikkim capital.

More than 55 vehicles carrying the 350 tourists left for Gangtok after the Border Roads Organisation cleared the North Sikkim highway at Theeng Bhir today. The cars are taking a route through Mangan via Lower Dzongu to reach Singtam.

Nearly 400 tourists were stranded in Lachen-Lachung on Sunday night after multiple landslides blocked the road. Chungthang police sources said around 50 tourists are still in Lachen and they are likely to leave tomorrow.

4 killed in accident

Four persons, including a retired army major, were killed when the car they were travelling in was washed away by a landslide near Kupup, 77km from Gangtok, on Monday evening.

The vehicle that was on its way to Padamchen from Kupup slipped almost 3,000 metre below the road.

Those killed were former army major Jaswant Singh, driver Dilip Chettri, Phurba Tshering Sherpa, and Phurba Tshering Bhutia.(TT)