Incessant rainfall has caused landslides and floods in India’s Himalayan state of Sikkim, resulting in at least six fatalities and leaving around 2,000 tourists stranded, officials reported on Friday.
Across the border in Nepal, four people were killed in Taplejung district after a landslide, triggered by heavy rains, swept away their house while they were sleeping, local authorities confirmed.
In Sikkim, heavy rains have triggered landslides in multiple locations within Mangan district, which encompasses north Sikkim and is situated approximately 100 km north of the state capital, Gangtok.
The continuous rainfall, which has persisted for 36 hours, has severely damaged the road to north Sikkim, effectively cutting off access to the district.
“The road to north Sikkim has been damaged in multiple locations, snapping connection to the district,” said Hem Kumar Chettri, the district magistrate of Mangan. “The stranded tourists are all safe but we have not been able to evacuate them because of the damage,” he added, noting that among the stranded were 11 foreign nationals.
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The small Buddhist state of Sikkim, home to 650,000 people and bordered by Bhutan, China, and Nepal, is a popular tourist destination. However, it is also prone to natural disasters caused by extreme weather events in the Himalayas. Last year, a Himalayan glacial lake outburst in Sikkim led to floods that claimed at least 179 lives.
Efforts are underway to repair the extensive damage to the road, with personnel and machinery deployed to the area. Chettri mentioned that around 50 houses have been partly or fully damaged by the rains, with affected residents being relocated to a relief camp.
While eastern parts of Nepal have been lashed by heavy rains, the western regions of the Himalayan country are experiencing one of their hottest seasons, according to weather officials.
