Guwahati: The road near Chungthang washed away by flash floods on Friday, leaving more than 2000 visitors stranded in North Sikkim. BRO Project Swastik karamyogis laboured through the night in torrential rain and bad weather to build a makeshift crossing over the flash flood area so that the visitors could be rescued.
At midday on Saturday, more than 300 tourists had been saved. While the evacuation of visitors would continue, efforts are being made to restore road connectivity.
Notably, significant rain has been falling in the Himalayan state over the past few days. This has led to landslides in the state, which have washed away a number of crucial roadways.
The road connecting Singtam – Dikchu – Rangran – Mangan – Chungthang was washed away after heavy downpour on Thursday.
Landslides on Thursday evening closed Rangarang on both sides. When the road became obstructed, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Project Swastik dispatched its gallant Karamyogis and heavy earthmoving machinery to the scene right away.
Around ten o’clock in the evening, the road was cleaned and made traffic-ready thanks to the tireless efforts of these Karamyogis.
Meanwhile, landslides in Singtam and Rangrang were reported on Friday. The majority of it was made up of loose rocks and boulders that had fallen from the mountaintops and covered the entire road, blocking it off to any traffic.