200 tourists stranded after multiple landslides hit North Sikkim
What's the story
Almost 200 tourists have been stranded in North Sikkim's Chungthang due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall. The landslides blocked the vital Chungthang-Lachen route on Tuesday night, leaving many travelers en route to Lachen stuck. Mangan District Collector Anant Jain said that these tourists were provided shelter at an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp and a gurudwara in Chungthang overnight.
Twitter Post
Visuals of landslides
Chungthang, Sikkim: Heavy rainfall triggers multiple landslides in North Sikkim, severely impacting road connectivity.
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2026
(Image source: Mangan District Collector Anant Jain) pic.twitter.com/YRE2NrhnrC
Road clearance
Road clearing work underway
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is currently working to clear the blocked road. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and will only allow travel once they ensure that the routes are safe, depending on weather conditions. Some tourists have since returned to Gangtok after canceling their travel plans due to these disruptions.
Tourist impact
Tsomgo Lake, Nathula still shut
The Lachung route, which was also blocked on Tuesday night, has been cleared and tourists from that side were sent back to Gangtok safely on Wednesday morning. However, major tourist attractions like Tsomgo Lake and Nathula continue to remain shut due to heavy snowfall in recent days. Notably, the Lachen route had only recently reopened on March 9 after being damaged in the 2023 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).