Army rescues 350 tourists stranded in Sikkim after sudden snowfall

Gangtok, April 4: The Border Road Organisation (BRO) on Tuesday rescued a total of 350 tourists stranded in east Sikkim after they were stuck in a sudden avalanche, defence sources said.

Quoting BRO Chief Engineer Brigadier Ahalawat, Defence Spokesman Lt. Col Mahendra Rawat said that BRO’s project Swastik immediately launched a swift rescue operation after the tourists got trapped in a sudden avalanche at Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg on the National Highway 310.

He said that six tourists were rescued from a deep valley and shifted to nearby hospitals. A woman remained buried for 1.5 hours under the snow before being rescued and sent to STNM Hospital.

Rescue operations are under progress and further details are awaited.