Avalanche Kills 7 Tourists, Injures 11 Others in Sikkim’s Nathula

Gangtok: Six tourists including a child died and 11 others were injured in a major avalanche in Sikkim’s Nathula region on Tuesday. Around 20 persons were rescued. The injured were transported to the state capital Gangtok’s hospital.

Rescue and clearance operations are still on. The avalanche occurred early morning at the 14th milestone on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. Around 25-30 tourists were trapped in it.

Rescue operations were taken up by the Border Roads Organisation and 22 people were rescued till now. Some 350 people and 80 vehicles, were stranded on the road because of the snow blocking the road from Nathu La. All of them were brought back to safety.

Nathula Pass is situated on the border with China. Its scenic beauty attracts large number of tourists.